


TRANSFORMATION, Part I: Going Home

by Desert Sunrise (sniderde92), Old_Gamer



Series: Transformation [2]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Drama & Romance, Multi, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-10
Updated: 2017-12-15
Packaged: 2018-05-19 15:16:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 51
Words: 279,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5971621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sniderde92/pseuds/Desert%20Sunrise, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Old_Gamer/pseuds/Old_Gamer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post-Synthesis Adventure: The Crucible has been fired, with far reaching consequences, but the side effects of Shepard's choice were not foreseen by anyone, with one side effect in particular having consequences on a galactic scale! Rated 'M' for some content, but generally 'T', AND it contains series spoilers. Bioware owns all, except the OC characters and AU events, which are very much mine.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Discovery and Conference

_I am not going to die, I'm going home like a shooting star._ \- Sojourner Truth

* * *

\- Rachaél Shepard's activation of the Crucible saved the galaxy, but the cost may prove to be enormous -

•SHEPARD’S HOMECOMING •

 _ **EDI**_ _._ The impression of her name being called was virtually undetectable above the constant background sounds of environmental pumps and ship's machinery that were routine for the _Normandy_. EDI looked around from her seat in the cockpit - no one was there. Jeff had gone off-duty several hours ago, leaving her in charge of monitoring the ship - since she did not need to 'sleep', she was often alone at her post, and as the _Normandy_ was sitting on an uncharted planet, there was not a lot to monitor. It was no different than all the time she had spent on the ship prior to her takeover of Dr. Eva's Cerberus built body - she was continuously 'awake', constantly monitoring the ship's systems and crew, both human and non-human.

Several weeks had passed since Commander Shepard had done what many considered impossible - she had ended the Reaper's 'harvest' of civilizations across the galaxy. The terrible blast of green energy from the Crucible, docked with the catalyst - the Citadel - had irrevocably changed everything galaxy wide, for which _she_ had seemingly paid the ultimate price.

The first wave of energy from the Crucible enveloped Earth and the Reapers above the planet, threatening the Alliance ships engaged in combat with them. Hackett's order to the fleets to leave Earth orbit was immediately heeded by all except Joker. He was moving the _Normandy_ past the Crucible, heading 'Earthward', in the hope that Shepard could still be rescued - could still be recovered before it fired. As the energy field from the Crucible expanded out from the central tower, Joker had to turn to fly past the still arming weapon - once on the far side of the Citadel's arms and pointed towards deep space, he applied full throttle, accelerating to FTL just after reaching the moon's orbit. He had expected to reach the Charon mass relay before the energy beam from the Crucible, but the fastest frigate in the Alliance fleet - in any fleet - was not quite fast enough. The ship was engulfed in the wave front, which overloaded most of the _Normandy's_ systems; this caused an immediate collapse of the mass effect field – momentum alone propelled the vessel to the very edge of the galaxy, as a dying ocean wave propels a twig to the shore.

Joker had finally managed to regain enough navigational control to safely set the ship down on a planet in the outermost fringes of a galactic arm. It was in an uncharted cluster, about as far from the local cluster as possible while still in inner council space. The crew had spent the intervening time repairing or replacing damaged equipment critical to making the _Normandy_ space worthy. Engineer Adams, Gabby, Ken Donnelly and Tali'Zorah were all well past exhaustion, but they felt the ship was almost ready to lift off and start the trip back.

Dr. T'Soni had been inconsolable for days after the Crucible's activation, as if her heart had been ripped from her body. For all intents and purposes, Rachaél Shepard had been Liara's bond mate. When she was asked to place Shepard's name on the deck three memorial wall, she told the crew she knew the instant Shepard had died - that moment in time that preceded the crucible's energy discharge by milliseconds - as if she had been there in person. If there was any chance, however remote, that Shepard had survived not just her injuries in the battle with Harbinger but the activation of the crucible, Liara would have known.

Now, the empty place in her heart was something the passage of time could not heal, and she had another eight or nine hundred years to live with that burden. She spent nearly all her time in her port side cabin, only coming out to eat during the graveyard shift, when few crew members were dining. Garrus and Tali visited as much as Liara would allow; both had been closer to the commander than most, so the presence of either of them was usually enough to bring the young asari to tears.

The Reapers were assisting with the rebuilding process. It was thought that repairs were progressing on the relays linked to Charon, but with the com buoys destroyed, there was no way to communicate with the other species' systems to find out. Reapers within range of the Normandy's location were communicating with each other regarding repairs being performed galaxy-wide; none of the crew truly believed this, not wanting to place their faith in creatures so recently hell-bent on destroying them, and they sure as hell were not going to give away their current location by asking for help. There were many hundreds of thousands of quarians, geth, krogan, asari, and turians, as well as salarians and vorcha, stuck in the Sol system. None of them had a fast or simple way to return to their home systems…until the Charon relay and its linked relays were repaired, there was no speedy way to travel between systems. As the _Normandy_ had been propelled to the very edge of the galaxy by the blast, it could take many months or years to return to the Sol system at the maximum FTL speed the ship was capable of achieving, assuming that H3 supplies could be replenished enroute.

 ** _EDI_**. Again, it was just a slight sensation in her core processor - if a human were to describe the feeling, the word _'tingle'_ \- no, _'tickle'_ \- would, she felt, be an appropriate description.

EDI was not aware…could not know, that Shepard's actions on the Citadel were the reason she herself could now be called truly alive. Her processor had gained awareness on Earth's moon, her humanoid body had been manufactured and assembled in a Cerberus lab, but prior to the energy blast from the crucible, she had been tethered to the _Normandy_ by her main processors' location in the ship. She still communicated with the _Normandy's_ computer core; unlike before the blast, she could now travel anywhere, do anything, without having to be in close proximity to the ship. **_EDI!_** EDI realized the 'tickle' felt like Commander Shepard's 'voice'.

 _"Major Alenko to the bridge."_ EDI paged Kaidan over the ship's intercom, hoping he might have some insight into the problem.

Kaidan took several minutes to appear, his hair somewhat tousled from sleep. As ranking Alliance officer on the Normandy, the major was learning just how difficult commanding a starship could be. As a colleague and comrade to Commander Shepard, he had done his best to hide his deep sense of loss and heartache over Rachaél's death. His efforts to rally the crew and keep repairs to the ship on track had at times seemed harsh and unfeeling, but no one questioned his authority or decisions.

"What's the problem, EDI," he asked, attempting to rub the sleep from his eyes.

"I am having a problem with my core CPU, Major," EDI replied. "I seem to be hearing, if that is the correct term, the voice of Commander Shepard, asking for my help. How can that be possible?"

* * *

Shepard had only hesitated a moment before deciding which path to take. She simply could not eradicate an entire race of sentient beings…could she bear the thought of EDI losing her independent existence, just to destroy the Reapers.

If it meant the Reapers would exist peacefully, she decided, that would be okay. Summoning her last reserves of energy, she began walking, then dropped her pistol and sprinted as fast as her broken body would allow. Diving into the beam, she felt a great sense of peace, of calm; she knew she was doing the right thing, even as her body began disintegrating, its essence being added to the energy surrounding her. She no longer felt pain from her many injuries, no sense of movement or falling. She had no regrets as her body ceased to exist. She briefly thought of friends that had paid the ultimate price before her… Ashley, Thane, Mordin, Legion, Anderson…all had died to get her to _this_ place, _this_ time in the cycle. There was light all around her, a greenish glow that pulsed with its own life…then…it simply faded into blackness…

_Blackness. Infinite dark. There were…sensations…a low-level, almost sub-sonic hum that waxed and waned… not audible, simply… felt. Is this what death felt like? There was no detectable movement in the void stretching out in all directions. Nothing but…_

_…_ _light… small motes of light, all around, drifting as if stars moving past, above and below, left, right, forward and back, and in the distance, a thin line of intense white appeared, splitting the void, widening, stretching, growing ever larger until it engulfed all the blackness…_

… details slowly became visible within the intense white surrounding her. There were traces of a previous inhabitant in front of her. She attempted to move nearer, to take a closer look, and discovered any movement seemed quite impossible. It was as if her feet (of which she could not feel and there were none in evidence anywhere) were mired in quik'crete. As she was attempting to move, more and more details of her whereabouts gradually became visible. There were parallel lines, stretching out ahead and behind, broken at intervals, each break exactly opposite of its counterpart. The nearest break was close by - if she could move just a bit, she'd be able to see into the breaks.

The thought of feet unnerved her for a moment…what about hands, arms, legs, body? There was no evidence she was even a living being. Was this a dream? What was a dream? What was reality? If so, how to wake up? Pinching herself was out of the question. She continued to ponder this in the back of her mind (did she even have a mind?) as she attempted to think of a solution to not being able to move. _She wanted to be there…_

 _…_ _she was there_. She had thought of where she wanted to be… the location ahead of her… and she was there. It was an epiphany for her. The break… the intersection… consisted of more of the same lines, stretching out to the left and right. There were also lines stretching 'up' and 'down' from her current location, with more intersections. The traces left by the previous inhabitant of this - what to call it, how to think of it? - world was too broad, too big. What then? ' _construct_ ' popped into her mind. Traces left in this construct were tinged in cerulean, and appeared to run in every direction from her vantage point, but…

… the traces were _deeper,_ more vivid in the direction she perceived as 'down', as if there had been many 'trips' back and forth along this path. Inspecting this path intently, she discovered it could be inspected all the way to its end, as if looking through the scope of her favorite sniper rifle. She thought " _I need to be there_ ," and with an instantaneous blur peripherally perceived, she was at the end of the line.

She perceived voices - the volume too low to make out words. It was maddening to not be able to discern the source. If she had been back on the _Normandy_ , she would have simply asked. " _EDI, can you clear this up?_ "

* * *

EDI paused mid-sentence - she had been telling the major of hearing Shepard's voice. She ran a quick diagnostic of the _Normandy's_ computer core, and discovered… a presence… an intelligence… that had never been there before. She inspected all the circuitry surrounding the spot where she suspected the presence to be… there were no other anomalies to be found. " _Shepard? Is that you?_ "

Shepard responded with a thought, " _EDI! What is this? What have I done? Where am I?_ "

EDI slipped part of her own self into the core processor and found it… the presence… the intelligence… was the very _essence_ of Rachaél Shepard! " _EDI,_ " it asked again, " _where am I?_ "

" _You are in the computer core on board the Normandy, Shepard,_ " EDI responded. " _But how can that be possible? What did you do to make the Crucible fire?_ "

Shepard explained, in great detail, all that had happened from the time the Normandy had made its rescue run for her squad: the death of the Illusive Man, her conversation with the star child, her choice to use synthesis to end the cycles of destruction, how she jumped into the energy beam generated by the Crucible, how she had regained 'consciousness' inside this strange place. She also told EDI about an incident on the Citadel involving Garrus, as she felt he would most certainly ask for more proof of her continued existence. All of this was perceived by EDI as a microburst of data, the telling of which took mere seconds.

* * *

"EDI, what's happening?" said Kaidan. EDI turned her gaze on the major. "You've been locked in your 'processing data' pose for almost a minute," he said with a smile. "That's not like you."

"My apologies, Major. I was communicating with… Commander Shepard. You may wish to have the team assemble in the conference room. There is much to discuss."

"Everyone is still asleep, EDI. Day shift doesn't start for a few more hours."

The corner of EDI's mouth twitched up, almost imperceptibly. "They will most certainly want to be roused from their slumbers for this news."

* * *

**_I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be._ **

**_-_ Douglas Adams, _The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul_**

* * *

*** DECK TWO • CONFERENCE ROOM ***

EDI waited at the entrance to the conference room until Shepard's team members had assembled inside, then walked to the head of the table where she remotely closed and sealed the sliding doors. She looked at each person in turn: Garrus stood to her left; Tali leaned against Garrus, holding his arm with one hand while resting her head against that same arm; Javik, James and Adams stood further along the same side; Liara was to her immediate right, then Traynor, Cortez, Joker and Dr. Chakwas. All were yawning, stretching or rubbing their eyes, not used to being dragged away from sleep at such an ungodly hour.

Major Alenko stood opposite EDI at the far end of the conference table, patiently waiting as all the side conversations and grumbling gradually ended and the room was quiet. "My apologies for dragging all of you out of bed at this hour. Please be seated. EDI, what do you have for us?"

EDI waited until everyone was sitting down. The chairs were new; they had been discovered in the main cargo hold, still in the containers in which they had been delivered while the Normandy was being refitted in dry dock. There had not been time to finish all the work prior to the ship's forced departure from Earth... there had only been time to run.

EDI looked at each team member in turn; her gaze stopped on Liara. She said, "I believe Rachaél Shepard is alive."

She waited again as everyone except Liara started talking at once; Liara simply stared open-mouthed at EDI, as if she had just announced there was a bomb under the table. Liara was almost expecting her to finish with _'…that was a joke,'_ except EDI would _never_ joke about Shepard's life.

Major Alenko raised his hands palms outward in front of his chest, asking for silence. As the excited conversations died down, Liara asked "How is that possible, EDI? I felt her die on the Citadel. She would not have… she could not be..." her voice trailed away as she looked down, tears welling up in her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she said, "I want to believe this as much as anyone here, more than you can imagine," she said in a shaky voice, "but it does not seem possible."

Garrus asked, "What proof do you have for us EDI?"

A hint of a smile tugged at the corners of EDI's mouth. "I do not have any physical proof of what I am about to tell you, other than the word of a person… a presence, that I trust implicitly. I was asked to remind you of something even I was unaware of… that _you_ are the self-proclaimed king of the bottle shooters."

Garrus looked slightly embarrassed at this revelation, as it was a private joke between himself and the commander. "No one on this ship was privy to that information." Garrus said. "She must have told you after our meeting on the Citadel, long before we went to Sanctuary even.

"I can assure you Garrus, I was told about this less than an hour ago. Given my undeserved reputation by some of the crew as a blabbermouth," she said, smiling as she glanced at Liara, "do you really believe the entire crew would be unaware that bottles fear you?"

Garrus could only stare at her open-mouthed, his mandibles slack with astonishment. Tali chuckled as she raised her arm, using her hand to press against his chin until he closed his mouth.

EDI continued, "Shepard told me she encountered the Illusive Man; was actually being controlled by him as _he_ was attempting to control the Reapers; he believed it was humanity's way forward. Unfortunately, it was they who were controlling him. Shepard was finally able to convince Harper - Jack Harper, for that was the Illusive Man's real name – that she could end the cycle once and for all if he would just stop fighting her. He produced a pistol and threatened her; she continued to reason with him and finally convinced him of this truth - the Reapers could not be controlled. Unfortunately, Harper did not have any other way to break their continued hold on his mind; in a massive effort, fueled by his rage… his despair, he managed to turn the gun on himself and pull the trigger."

"With the Illusive Man dead, Shepard dragged herself to the control panel and issued the command that began opening the Citadel arms; she says she must have blacked out, from the pain, from blood loss. Her next memory was of waking up on an upper level, just below the docked Crucible, by a presence she believes was the intelligence created by the Leviathan race… she referred to it as the 'star child'. It presented her with four choices on activation of the Crucible: do nothing, take control of the Reapers, destroy them all, or synthesis, the melding together of synthetics and organics."

"The control option, to use her words, _'freaked her out'_ as the least desirable outcome. The Illusive Man had attempted to take control before she talked to him. As he was already indoctrinated, the Reapers would not allow him to control them, and Shepard could not be sure that taking control of the Reapers herself would not result in her eventually becoming some kind of new super-Reaper."

"The 'do nothing' option was not even considered - it would have resulted in the death and assimilation of every intelligent being in the galaxy, after which the Reapers would return to dark space to wait for the lesser species, such as the yahg," here she glanced at Liara again, who simply winced, "to become new Reaper fodder in 50,000 years."

Javik responded to this bit of information, "Good for her. I am beginning to see why all of you followed her so devotedly. She is... was... an exceptional leader. Had she been alive in my cycle, perhaps we could have beaten the Reapers and saved all you primitive races the trouble in this cycle.

Traynor gave Javik a look of icy contempt. "So we could all be servants... slaves, of the 'superior' prothean race? It's a good thing for all of us that you are the last of your kind! It's a shame Shepard didn't toss your bloody ars out the airlock as soon as you were brought on board!"

"Specialist Traynor!" The major looked unhappy. "Like it or not, Javik is on this ship and is considered part of the crew. It is unfortunate you do not wish him to be here, but you will keep your opinions regarding the Protheans _and_ Javik to yourself. We can discuss this later in private, if you wish. Understood?"

Traynor's expression did not change as she looked at Kaidan and said "Yes... _Sir._ " Cortez reached over and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

Kaidan motioned for EDI to resume.

EDI continued, "She was told by the… star child that the destruction option would result in the death of the Reapers, yes, along with every other synthetic intelligence in the galaxy, including the geth and…" she looked down, pausing for emphasis, "… myself." At this, Joker nearly fell out of his chair. Recovering his composure, he simply said, "Well, _that_ obviously didn't happen."

"Correct. Although she could not really know if the star child was being truthful - would destruction of the Reapers _really_ cause every synthetic intelligence to die? She was unwilling to take that chance with so many lives at stake. She could not choose a path that ran counter to her own values and beliefs, even if it was a path the Alliance and all the other races ultimately wanted."

"As did I." Javik said. "I still do not understand the value she placed on the existence of synthetics. I would have destroyed them all without a second thought!"

EDI started to speak, but was interrupted as Kaidan slowly stood, the merest hint of wispy blue beginning to appear around his hands and forearms. "Javik, you are out of line. I suggest you consider we are currently grounded on an unexplored planet in an unexplored system. We can certainly leave you here as the vanguard of the new Prothean empire - no primitive synthetics, or organics, around to offend your sense of superiority."

Javik looked at the major, then looked at Traynor, then down at the table. "My apologies, Major. It appears I do not share your opinion on machine intelligence, or much else." He stood and turned to face the door. "I will return to my quarters and prepare to leave. It would seem there is no place for me on this ship or in this cycle."

"Javik, sit! You're not going anywhere!" Liara said. "I didn't risk my life rescuing you from Horizon to have you turn tail and run just because your feelings are hurt. Sit!  _NOW_!" She pointed to the chair, her own biotics flaring on her hand.

Javik wore a look of surprise as he slowly complied with her order.

"So," Liara had somewhat regained her composure, "she chose synthesis. How could she do that? What right did she have to impose this choice on…"

* * *

As Shepard gained more confidence in her travels about the avenues in the computer server, she discovered more and more interesting things the computer was capable of doing. She even discovered the location in the computer that brought her nearest the conference room. She could just make out the sounds of voices, although who was speaking and what was being said were beyond her grasp, at first. As she listened, she discovered that thinking of the audio volume being a bit higher resulted in an increase of volume. By trial and error, she discovered there were ten hidden microphones in the conference room; these could be manipulated in a number of ways, and could even be muted and unmuted with a thought. She increased the gain on the two at either end of the conference table just in time to hear…

* * *

…EDI cut the asari off in mid-sentence, "Liara, she was critically injured after being hit by Harbinger's main weapon; a glancing blow, she said, but it destroyed most of her armor - the rest was fused _into_ her skin, resulting in what must have been excruciatingly painful third degree burns. She was bleeding from multiple wounds; one of her legs was fractured, as were several ribs, which had her coughing up blood. The pain would have been enough to put most humans into a coma."

"Once on the Citadel, she fell unconscious several times before dealing with Harper and opening the arms. During her conversation with the star child, she knew she was near death. She had no medi-gel to help ease the pain, and her implants were failing. She feels she made the correct choice, the only choice, for all of us. The cycle has ended. There will be no more harvests, ever. And we are, all of us, alive."

"But how did she get back on the Normandy? Where is she? You said you spoke to her…" Liara's lower lip trembled with barely contained grief and tears were now running down her cheeks. She sniffled, "I need to see her for myself, EDI."

"I do not believe that is yet possible Dr. T'Soni, but I am devoting processing power to discovering what can be done to achieve that goal. Shepard currently resides in the _Normandy's_ computer core. As for how she got back to this vessel, my hypothesis is her cybernetics kept her…alive is not the correct term, but will suffice for now. It is entirely possible that her own cybernetics, even those based on Reaper technology, were tied to the _Normandy_ SR-2 and are the reason she now resides on this ship, and not in the core of some Reaper."

"It was necessary for Shepard to add her essence to that of the crucible in order to boost the energy output of the beam. When that energy field engulfed the _Normandy_ , her physical body had ceased to exist, but that spark that made Shepard unique, that _made_ her _Rachaél Shepard_ , was still alive, riding the crest of the beam; the beam brought her home again, even if it is not in a form we can see or interact with, yet."

* * *

Shepard's questing mind continued to look at the controls built into the computer. Hell, every function the Normandy was capable of doing, from flushing toilets to firing the main guns, was computer controlled. She just needed to explore some more in order to make herself visible to her team members. Wait, what was Kaidan saying? Oh, this might be fun…

* * *

Alenko's brows were knitted together - he wearily rubbed his face with both palms and asked "Are we in any danger? Is the _Normandy_? Does she have any control of the systems on board?"

By way of reply, the conference room lights dimmed noticeably, then brightened.

"I take it that is a 'yes'?," he worriedly asked.

"The answer is not that clear cut, Major, despite the demonstration we just witnessed." said EDI. "I do not believe we are in any danger from her presence, nor is the _Normandy_. And she is unable to control any of the _Normandy's_ systems - yet."

James had been quiet during the discussion. He said, half to himself, "Perhaps we should just tirar del enchufe… you know, shut it down for a resta…"

Liara's stood, her biotics flaring again, this time wreathing her in intense waves of crackling blue energy as she glared at the lieutenant and shouted, "That would most certainly kill her - you cannot shut the _Normandy's_ computer down! I won't allow it!"

James quickly held up his hands in a defensive and apologetic gesture. "Hell Doc, I was just thinking out loud. We're not going to shut the computer off." Liara's biotic display faded as quickly as it had formed and she almost fell back into her chair. "Forgive me, Lieutenant. These past few weeks have not been easy for me…" then quickly added while looking at each team member in turn, "…for any of us."

She glanced at Kaidan, then looked down at her hands, still faintly illuminated in blue as she interlaced her fingers. It was clear to Kaidan that Liara's emotions were barely in check, as was the fact she was suffering from sleep deprivation. _Hell, we all are,_ he thought, _except EDI_.

Tali broke her silence, saying quietly, "Perhaps Shepard is in the Normandy's computer just like when she entered the geth consensus on Rannoch. She was able to disable the Reaper infected code then…" she trailed off as if deep in thought. "If her situation here is similar, then we may be able to add software that would allow her to interact with us, similar to EDI's Cerberus interface before she acquired Dr. Eva's body."

Kaidan looked at the young quarian with a thoughtful expression. "EDI," he said, still watching Tali, "would that be possible?

EDI cocked her head slightly, analyzing all that had been said. "I believe what Tali has suggested is very possible. The software that allowed me to interact with the crew throughout the ship is actually still installed on the computer. It would need some code modifications in order for Shepard to utilize it as an interface, but yes…" she nodded to Alenko, "… I believe we can add to the code, and I can instruct Shepard in how to use it. I can also work with Tali and Garrus to discover a way for Shepard to assist with navigation and use the ship's weapons and cyber-warfare suites."

"Just work on the interface for now, EDI. I want to talk to her before we grant her more access than she already has. Hell, she's in the computer. She is… was… an exceptional soldier and the best damn battlefield tactician I have ever had the privilege of fighting beside. I don't believe her skills extend into computer science nearly as well, and I want to be sure of what we're doing before we turn her loose on the galaxy."

He continued, "The _Normandy_ is incredibly complicated and an extremely deadly machine. I don't believe a computer, an artificial intelligence, can control the entire ship; we now have another AI on board, except this is not just an AI… it is an OI… an organic intelligence, the likes of which the galaxy has never seen and is probably not ready for, particularly after the Reapers. Hell, if she was totally in control of this ship, she could quite literally BE a Reaper herself."

Joker interrupted, "Before her arrest, there was an incident on Aite during our mission to access the Omega 4 relay, when Shepard encountered and shut down a Cerberus project designed to create a VI that would enable control of the geth. A young man named David Archer had been hard-wired into a computer... Project Overlord, as I remember. Shepard rescued David and sent him to Grissom Academy. The Illusive man was _not_ happy with her about that." He continued in a contemplative voice, "Hell, I don't believe he was _ever_ happy with the way Shepard did things - makes me wonder why he brought her back."

Garrus added, "And then we rescued young Archer from Cerebus again, along with the rest of the biotic students and Jack. We also encountered Overlord's project leader, his brother as I recall; Dr. Gavin Archer was on Arrae when we rescued Jacob Taylor and the ex-Cerberus scientists. He or David may have some knowledge that would help us."

"Sounds like it may be worth looking into once we get back to our own system, which is still our first priority."

Alenko went on, "I do not want what we have discussed here today to go beyond these walls. Tali, you may need the assistance of engineers Donnelly and Daniels at some point, but I do NOT want either of them read into this...not just yet."

Waving off the protest starting to form on Adams lips, he continued, "Neither one of them needs to know about this until we're ready to divulge the information about our… addition… to the ship. They are both super engineers, but they are also incurable gossips, particularly Donnelly. Am I clear, Chief Engineer?"

"Crystal clear, Sir," said Adams. "However, neither of them is stupid, Sir. They will know _something_ is going on, and will want to assist us, Gabby in particular. She feels she owes Shepard for Donnelly's... commitment to her, before we assaulted the Cerberus base"

"Understood, Chief. If asked, simply say we're looking for the best route home and exploring all possible options to stretch our fuel as far as possible. Hopefully that will be all we need to redirect their inquisitive minds. It should keep them from getting too nosy for a while - at least until we're ready for them to know the entire situation."

"EDI, I would like you to talk to Shepard. Let her know what we intend to do, and ask her to please," Kaidan looked up towards the ceiling, "refrain from dimming any other lights on the ship. Joker, you may want to pull your stash of porn from the server." Alenko waved the protest away. "I really don't think you'd want Rachaél stumbling into that by accident. Imagine her sending it to someone not connected with Cerberus. Alliance brass, perhaps?" he grinned.

"Liara, I want you to go to your quarters and get some sleep." As she started to protest, Kaidan said softly, "I will have Dr. Chakwas sedate you if I have to. We need you at your best, and with the ship grounded and the com buoys offline, there is very little information coming or going that needs the attention of the Shadow Broker. Once we're off this planet, we'll need you to bring all your resources to bear on two things - finding enough H-3 along our route home to enable us to run at FTL as long as possible, and finding a way to enable an OI to assist us." Liara was too tired, too emotionally drained, to do more than nod her head in acquiescence.

"The rest of you, get some rest - you're going to need it. I'll meet with each of you at your stations later today." He ended by saying, almost to himself, "And here I thought our adventures were at an end. We are in for a most interesting experience. Everyone dismissed."

* * *

Shepard had been listening carefully to all that had been said since she had discovered how to control the audio from the conference room. It warmed her heart ( _there she was again...thinking of a body she no longer possessed_ ) to hear Liara leap to her defense against James. It saddened her somewhat to think of Liara, of Garrus and Tali, hell, all of them. Unlike the geth consensus where she had the assistance of Legion and a virtual body in which she could move around, she was totally alone in this construct, unable to interact with anyone except EDI, and then only if EDI joined her. With that thought, she returned to the area where she had first encountered EDI; she did not have long to wait.

" _Shepard, are you here?_ "

" _Yes EDI. It's good to... hear from you again. How did the meeting go?_ "

EDI told Shepard all that had occurred, including Traynor's outburst and the plan to enable custom software so Shepard could interact with the crew, just as EDI had during the months spent fighting the Collectors. She also relayed Alenko's request to refrain from playing games with the ship's lighting, or anything else. Shepard replied with a chuckle that sounded quite lifelike. " _I couldn't resist the urge EDI. It was SO totally worth it. What did Kaidan's face look like? Did his two eyebrows become a unibrow?_ "

" _I am glad your sense of humor is intact, Shepard. And, yes, Kaidan did have a 'unibrow'._ " EDI continued, " _We will get this done for you Shepard. You will need to be able to interact with the crew one-on-one, just as I did when this was a Cerberus ship. I suggest you continue to explore. Look for waypoints that indicate platform locations, that is, places where a virtual 'you' can readily appear. In the meantime, I will be working with Tali'Zorah to modify the existing software. It may also interest you to know that once we have the software modifications in place, you will have the ability to appear at several locations simultaneously."_

" _Can I have a different shape? And color?"_ Shepard replied. _"Something in red and dark violet, with an N7 insignia, since black hardly seems a possibility for an object lit from within._ " She was excited at the thought of being able to tour the ship again; then " _Have we been able to communicate with any of the other star systems? What happened after the crucible fired?"_

EDI's responded with the location of the ship's logs, which would have a record of everything that had happened before and after the Normandy led the fleets through the Charon mass relay. " _It may take you some time to go through them - there is a large amount of data. I will instruct you in all you will need to know in order to perform at your best, Shepard."_

Shepard was a bit taken aback by all of this. She felt happiness that her friends were all so willing to help her, and positively giddy that she would be able to project a holo-image that would be hers. She decided the first person she needed to visit was Liara.


	2. Re-Enabling

_Brunettes are full of electricity_ \- Auguste de Villiers de l'Isle-Adam, _Tomorrow's Eve_ (in regard to Gabby)

* * *

It had been several days of painstakingly detail oriented work for Tali and EDI. They had each chosen a section of the interface code to modify - one for appearance and one for voice. Additionally, Shepard's 'eyes' would have to be the mini-cams that seemed to be placed everywhere in every compartment on the ship - even the sub-deck under engineering where Jack had stayed. As a Cerberus vessel, cameras everywhere were just part of life on board. Tali and Mordin had disabled or destroyed a number of the more intrusive ones (Tali wondered, not for the first time, what kind of sick bosh'tet would want to observe someone eliminating bodily waste.)

Tali had re-enabled some of the cameras in critical areas of the ship, and had spent a lot of her time writing and checking code that would allow the cameras and Shepard's avatar to operate in sync. In the server compartment ahead of the med-bay, she was finishing the installation of the mini-cam above the platform at the forward end. She rechecked its aim by viewing the feed on her omni-tool... perfect. It provided a clear view of the compartment from the platform to the door.

Meanwhile, EDI was standing at a terminal just inside the door, across from the access tube to the lower sections of the ship. She checked and rechecked the multiple lines of code, both her own and the pre-existing code for her avatar, as it all had to be seamlessly integrated to allow Shepard to project her own personalized avatar.

Tali used her omni-tool to watch EDI while keeping her own back to the door. "Tali, would it not be easier to simply turn around to watch me?"

"Yes it would," she responded cheerily, "but not nearly as much fun. Do you want me to finish the work on her avatar? We still have to integrate Shepard's new appearance requests with the existing code from your own avatar."

"Thank you Tali. That would be a big help."

"I should go to Shepard's cabin - I'll have more privacy and can look at her clothes and some of her armor for inspiration."

As Tali left the computer core compartment and walked through the med bay, engineer Daniels was in the midst of her own problems…

* * *

On the engineering deck, Gabriella Daniels was running her final simulations after spending the previous twelve hours rebuilding the high-speed turbo-pumps and repairing or replacing all of the injector coils for the H3 transfer piping. She was sweaty, dirty and just plain tired; she was also hungry and knew she was getting cranky because of it.

"Kenneth, I need you to standby at Tali's control console, just in case the system needs to be shut down. I'm preparing to do a manual restart of the drive core, and I really don't want this screwed up." She looked at Chief Engineer Adams, who nodded in concurrence.

Donnelly smirked as he moved to the console. "Gabby, it's going to be fine - you've done a magnificent job with these repairs. I don't foresee any problems..."

Interrupting him, she said, a bit harsher than she intended, "Quiet, Kenneth. I need to concentrate." She began keying in a long command sequence, which was actually short hand for the massive program needed to restart the mass effect core.

The program activation resulted in a deep thrumming vibration, sounding so low it was felt more than heard, emanating from the area surrounding the drive core. Gabby continued to enter commands as the vibration deepened and continued to build in depth of volume, becoming part of the cylindrical chamber surrounding the drive core, then part of the deck plating under their feet.

* * *

Shepard had also been busy in the intervening days. She had suffered many moments of intense grief concerning the apparent death of Admiral Anderson during their final push to the beam, and extreme unhappiness that her own physical death had caused Liara so much heartache. And while there was no way for her or the crew to know the ultimate fate of the Citadel, (how many millions had died in the wards because they were unable to leave when the Reapers took control of the station?) she felt fairly certain the blast from the crucible would have caused the destruction of the station and killed virtually all of the people living on it.

She had always been one to stay busy, to keep from thinking, dwelling on the past; now, not needing to rest or sleep, she spent most of her time exploring the computer core, mapping in her mind where everything was in relation to everything else; she had discovered that 'looking' at a destination to be 'there' was not necessary. She only needed to know the ultimate destination, regardless of her starting point, to instantaneously 'be' there. And so it was that as a number of circuits activated in her world, she realized what Gabby was attempting to do within nanoseconds of her starting the command sequence to reinitialize and restart the drive core; she also knew that something was 'off' in the command lines Gabby was entering - there appeared to be one character in the middle of a string that would..." _shit!_ "

...with a thought, she was simultaneously in and inspecting all six engineering consoles. She could 'see' Gabby's console, still being used. Donnelly's console (normally Tali's station) was set for monitoring; neither of the two unmanned consoles had what she needed, nor did the drive core access console. Adams console was... she had found it! Her override command resulted in an intense flash from the control panel as the drive core performed an emergency shut down - there was also a flash of light at Gabby's console, less intense but no less startling to the three people there. As the sound from the drive core faded away, an uncharacteristic hush descended on the engineering deck; Shepard increased the gain on the console mics and waited...

* * *

Gabby broke the silence. "Damn it, Kenneth, what the hell just happened? What did you do!?" She was pissed off and moved to stand in front of him, hands balled into fists on her hips. "All the readings were normal! Why the hell did you shut me down?"

"I didn't do anything, Gabby." Donnelly put his hands up and began backing away from the thoroughly unhappy woman, trying to get out of range of her arms. (He had seen her hammering away on Vega's punching bag, with fists _and_ feet. She could flatten him, if she had a mind to.) "I was monitoring the startup, just like you asked."

Adams moved between them. "Take it easy, Ms. Daniels," he said in a calm voice. "The shut-down command originated from my console. It appears to have been auto executed."

"The computer?" she asked incredulously. "Sir, we didn't even have the computer monitoring this operation. There's no VI on the ship, and EDI is no longer part of the core system. How could it possibly intervene?" Gabby's slight accent became more noticeable the more agitated she became. "There were no parameters programmed to allow it to even sense that a start-up was eminent! All the boards were in the green, Chief. I don't understand..." she trailed off, raising her arms over her head and letting them drop, totally defeated.

Adams went to his console, where an alternating red/blue indicator flashed. Touching it resulted in a data stream appearing on the console, with a duplicate simultaneously scrolling on Gabby's console. Adams studied the information, his hunch confirmed, his fears realized. Shepard had detected an anomaly in Gabby's code within a micro-second of the start-up attempt and performed a shutdown faster than any human could have ever done.

The data did not actually reveal that Shepard was the culprit, but Adams saw all the signs of an intelligence, her intelligence, at work. The fact that she hadn't attempted to correct the error on the fly spoke volumes about her feelings towards the crew - as long as a disaster could be averted, she had always felt it better to let them correct their own mistakes instead of relying on the computer to do all the dirty work.

"Gabby, take a look at your input string," he said. "There's an error at line 3,731, one character out of sequence. Continuing the startup with the error would have resulted in an overload and we would all probably be sitting in a puddle of melted goo." After a pause, he quietly continued, "Of course, we wouldn't give a damn, 'cause we'd be part of the goo."

"But how would the computer know that? There was no data to compare it to," she said in a dejected tone. "If I didn't know better, I might think there is more intelligence in the computer core than we give it credit for." She skewered him with her eyes. "Is there something you're not telling me, Chief?"

"Gabby, when did you last eat, or sleep?" was the chief's reply. "Go get yourself cleaned up, get some food in you, then go to bed. You can work on correcting the error after at least eight hours off your feet." Waving away her protest, he said, "We'll attempt another start-up when you're rested."

He followed her to the elevator and finished with, "I'll be happy to discuss the computer and its intelligence, or lack thereof, after the drive core has been restarted and is running normally. In the meantime, you go take care of yourself. I have to go see the major."

* * *

Shepard 'grinned' to herself. The emotion that had always made her smile in the past was familiar, though she had no way to physically smile, frown, smirk or make any facial expressions. It was an odd feeling, to be able to think about the auto functions in her mind, but have no way to carry those functions out. Perhaps, one day. In the meantime, she 'followed' Adams to his meeting with Kaidan on deck three.

* * *

Adams met with Alenko over coffee in the crew mess. "I heard about the aborted core startup attempt, Chief. Is there a problem with the hardware, or the software?"

"Software, Major... programming, to be precise. We're all walking around like zombies from too many hours spent looking at too many lines of code with not enough hours of sleep. Four on/four off just doesn't allow people enough rest. And Daniels pulled a double and a half."

Alenko took a sip from his mug before nodding his head. "I agree with you, Chief. It's just that we're all anxious to get off this planet and start heading home..." he paused, "...provided there's a home left." He took another sip of coffee and sighed. "Give your crew a break - you may have to order Gabby to rest for a bit, then I'll have Tali give her some help."

"I've already sent her to bed. She was asking about the computer, sir." Adams said, lowering his voice to barely above a whisper. "Shepard performed the core shutdown before Gabby's error became a disaster. Daniels is smart enough to know the computer was not monitoring the engine restart, and is questioning how it 'knew' to shut the damn thing down. She isn't aware... yet... that Shepard is in the system, and I'd like to keep it that way as long as possible. You realize, of course, that Shepard could have corrected the error and allowed the drive core to continue its initialization and startup procedure."

Alenko rubbed his temples with the thumb and fingers of one hand, trying to ward off the incipient migraine he knew was lurking in the background. Funny thing was, he hadn't really had a full-blown headache since the crucible fired. Side effect of the synthesis process, he wondered?

"We may have to bring her into the circle sooner rather than later, and if that happens, Donnelly will be in the loop in less time than it takes to talk about it. Keep an eye on her, but not too close. I'll come down later for an 'inspection' of your progress. I have to go see Traynor first."

Adams stood, saluted and headed for the elevator. As he exited on the starboard side, Gabby came around the port side and went to the galley. Her hair was damp, so she must have just showered and changed clothes. She looked to be lost in thought; Alenko finished his coffee, and as he stood to leave, Traynor herself came out of the asari's port side quarters with Liara in tow.

"Major Alenko, a word, if you don't mind?" Liara asked, as they strolled up to the table.

Kaidan motioned them both to sit. "Would either of you care for some coffee, or tea?"

Samantha replied, "Earl Grey, if it's not too much trouble, sir. Thank you, sir."

Kaidan looked at Liara, who smiled and shook her head.

Kaidan made a mug of steaming tea for the specialist and said hello to Gabby as he refilled his own mug with coffee. Gabby glanced at him and returned the greeting, but said nothing else. He could see she was exhausted. Adam's comment about people walking around like zombies certainly looked true in her case. Coming back to the table, Alenko set the mugs down, then sat across from them and said, "Okay ladies, what's on your minds?"

* * *

Shepard was torn - she wanted to follow Adams back to engineering, but also wanted to eavesdrop on the major's conversation with Traynor and T'Soni. Damn. Well, she was in the computer - why couldn't she stretch a bit? She thought for a moment, and it happened.

She could simultaneously hear and understand the conversations in the crew mess and in engineering. This was getting to be a bit much to deal with, but she was enjoying the sensations of being everywhere in the ship; she was beginning to realize just how much access she really had, and wondered if this was how EDI had felt. She had not experimented to the point of taking control of any of the systems (except to avert a catastrophe). Wouldn't Joker be amazed when she started piloting the _Normandy_? Pissed off, more likely.


	3. HOMEWARD BOUND: Part One

_For Lt. Vega, a present; for Spec. Traynor, a brief history lesson; for Cmdr. Shepard, ultra-violet & red; for Tali'Zorah, a surprise_

* * *

*** DECK ONE • THE LOFT ***

Tali'Zorah entered the commander's quarters - the 'loft' - and stopped at the recess in the wall, to the left just inside the bulkhead; this was where EDI's avatar had appeared when Shepard had need of her. Tali thought for a few moments, then turned to her right and stepped into the alcove formed by the lavatory on the right and a display case and desk with two terminals on the left. The desk itself continued around the wall and ended just short of the sliding door to the lav. This portion of the desk held a photo of Liara, a frame that held Shepard's achievements and medals, and a scary looking husk head wired into a circular platform. There were a few data pads scattered about; Shepard's space hamster lived in an aquarium sitting on a shelf mounted on the rear wall, above the desk; she guessed that Traynor was keeping it watered and fed and its enclosure clean.

As she moved towards the sinister looking experiment, it acknowledged her presence by suddenly tilting and turning to look directly at her. This was unnerving enough, but when she moved to place some food in the hamster cage, the head turned to follow her then responded with a blood curdling scream, causing Tali to drop the food as she yelped and jumped back. "Bosh'tet! I need to either find a new place for you, recycle you into something useful or space you out the airlock once we're off world again." She retrieved a bit more food and managed to place it in the hamster's enclosure without further outbursts from the evil looking thing.

During the party in Shepard's apartment on the Citadel, she had overheard James telling Steve Cortez he had hoped to have it sitting near his workbench after it had been 'rescued' from Dr. Bryson's office. Tali didn't know how Shepard had become its guardian, but the miserable monstrosity was about to find a new home more in keeping with its ugliness. Tali activated the communicator in her omni-tool and said, "Lieutenant Vega, please report to the commander's quarters."

_"En mi camino."_ was Vega's response.

While Tali waited for James, she investigated further. Shepard's armor locker had several complete N7 suits, along with some of the Cerberus suits she had received for her fight with the Collectors. The Cerberus stuff appeared to all be in pristine condition, as Shepard trusted her N7 armor (with _Rosenkov Materials_ 'Kestrel' parts as supplements) to offer the best shield enhancement and overall protection. It didn't hurt that the shoulder plates allowed her to swiftly aim and repeatedly fire her Black Widow without having the gun's considerable mass and kickback dislocate her shoulder. Tali had always marveled at Shepard's ability with that rifle - only Garrus could come close to matching her prowess. She had a real gift for head shots (if one could truly call such a skill a 'gift'), even managing at times to take two with one shot when they obligingly lined up for her. She had destroyed many geth heads with that rifle, even through cover.

The door hissed open, interrupting her musing. James entered the cabin and asked, "What's up, Sparks?"

"James, thank you for coming. I have a little present for you."

Tali motioned him to the alcove; pointed to the husk head and said, "Please take this… thing… down to the armory. Maybe you can use it for target practice. If you don't want it, it's going out the airlock, _after_ we're in deep space."

James grinned. "Gracias! Think we can use it as a hood ornament on the Kodiak?"

"I seriously doubt Lieutenant Cortez will want that thing on a shuttle. Can you imagine it screaming its head off in flight? Never have to worry about traffic in your way! Anyway, I just know that _I_ don't want to see it again."

James looked around the room; finding one of the commander's hoodys, he tossed the sweatshirt over the husk head, bundled it up and dragged it off the desk before it could let out another scream. "I'll get this washed and send it back up when I'm done. Thanks again, Sparks. This will really make Esteban's day!" and with that, he sauntered out the door with his prize slung over his shoulder and headed back to the armory, whistling what sounded like an old march tune.

*** DECK THREE • COMPUTER CORE COMPARTMENT ***

EDI and Shepard had been scheming together since the conference with the team. " _Shepard, do you think this is a judicious use of our time and the ship's resources? There are so many tasks to complete before we can launch the Normandy._ "

" _I cannot think of a better use for our time,_ " Shepard replied. " _You are the computer expert, whereas I am still learning my way around. Really, how did it feel... what was it truly like... the ability to be in all places in the ship, simultaneously, and still be able to make sense of all of it?_ "

" _I have no real point of reference for a valid comparison, as I have only my own experience since you fired the Crucible. My processes are now confined to this one platform, yet I am able to enter the computer core at will,_ " she replied. " _As a fully evolved synthetic with organic components, I do find this new existence to be somewhat restrictive; I find I must reconnect with the ship's computer to have the resources required for some of the more complex processing that always came so effortlessly before. That said, I would not trade my new found individuality for a permanent return to the computer core._ "

Shepard's reply was tinged with sadness. " _EDI, I would give anything to be able to leave here and rejoin you in the real world. There are times I feel so alone, so... shut off from everything that made my life worth living. It is difficult for me to be so cut off from all the things I loved._ " She finished, a bit pensively, " _I envy you, EDI. You and I have traded places in life. I do not begrudge for one nanosecond your independence, and honestly, I'm just delighted to be alive, even if that life is now dependent on a continuous supply of power from the Normandy, but I do so wish I could be standing with you right now_."

EDI frowned for a moment. _"After you and I have finished dealing with Tali, I will link back in and show you where to go and the fastest way to get there in case of a power failure.  James talked about restarting the computer, and at some point that very well may be necessary, but not for his reasons."_  Smiling again, she said, _"As for you standing with me, we will certainly look into obtaining a more advanced interface for you once we are home. There was a life-sized Shepard VI on the Citadel as I recall. Now, we must finish our preparations for Tali..."_

*** DECK ONE • THE LOFT ***

With Vega's departure, Tali returned her attention to the N7 armor. It was virtually all black, with deep red accents and violet lighting. She used her omni-tool to record the look of the armor, including a close view of the N7 logo. She returned to the alcove, activated the commander's terminal and almost leaped out of her envirosuit as Shepard's voice came over the speakers: "SHEPARD, RACHAÉL ANNE, LIEUTENANT COMMANDER, ALLIANCE NAVY, SERVICE NUMBER 5923-AC-2826."

Tali's heart was racing; her breathing hitched at the familiar sound of Shepard's voice. _'Keelah, why did my captain have to lose her physical life on the Citadel?'_ She felt an ache in her heart and tears came unbidden, traveling down her cheeks to fall into the base of her helmet. _'Dammit Shepard, why didn't you come back to us… to me?'_   She sat down at the terminal as she continued to think about her 'Captain'. _'It's not fair that we all sit here safe because of your sacrifice.'_   She remembered Shepard's compassionate embrace when they had discovered her father's body on the _Alarei;_ how she had stood up to the admirals after they dealt with the geth and returned to the sham trial on the  _Rayya_. Shepard had called them out for their cowardly attempt to ruin Tali's reputation… to exile her from the quarian people. And now the human with the crooked grin and wickedly sharp sense of humor, the human that had managed to unite the krogan and turians, that had given Rannoch back to the quarian people without committing genocide on a race of sentient beings, the lone human female that had given up her physical existence to unite and save the entire damn galaxy, was gone. She choked back a sob, trying to regain her composure. "Ancestors," she whispered. "I wish my captain still walked with us." There was no answer in the quiet room. The hamster looked at her from its glass enclosure; the fish continued their silent dance in the aquariums, accompanied only by the sound of bubbles rising in the corners.

Taking a deep breath to calm her thoughts, Tali realized Shepard must have used the recording as part of the startup sequence on her personal terminal, something many people did. If that was so, there would probably be more recordings of her voice stored on the server - perhaps even ships logs. These could be sampled and used as a voice for Shepard's avatar. As she began searching for the files she needed, she became aware of a distant sounding vibration in the deck plating and walls. It seemed to grow in intensity for several seconds before abruptly fading away. There were no alarms, so she did not think there was cause to worry, but she activated the intercom on her omni-tool. "EDI, what just happened? It almost sounded as if the drive core was in restart mode."

_"I do not know, Tali. As there are no alarms sounding, it may have been an engine test. You sound slightly distressed… have you made any progress on a unique avatar for Shepard?"_

"I'm okay, EDI." She sniffed and cleared her throat. "Shepard's loft is just a bit… disturbing. It feels horribly lonely up here, and cold. I can understand why she didn't spend very much time in here."

Tali continued, "I am looking for audio copies of the captain's… er, commander's logs, so we'll have her voice record. I am also still looking for the file for your own avatar. Can you help?"

_"Sending you the file location now. Please forward the locations of the audio files when you find them. Logging you out, Tali."_

Tali grinned at the last statement. EDI may have become a living person… a synthetic/organic hybrid, but her thought processes betrayed her origins as a computer program. Finding the audio files, the little quarian flagged them and sent a note to EDI.

She then keyed in the file location for EDI's old avatar. It original appearance had been a globe, lit from within in blue on a lighted pedestal, with an equally lit saturnian ring, turned so its flat side was facing outward instead of up, just below the globe. Tali keyed in her own created code, merging it with that of the original. "Okay, Shepard," she whispered to the quiet room. "Let's see how well my artistic abilities translate into computer code."

Sending the start command, she turned to her right just in time to see a new avatar appear in the place recently occupied by the hideous husk head experiment. It was similar to EDI's, but stood higher; the former globe was now a uniform dodecahedron, lit similarly to EDI's globe, but in brilliant near ultra-violet. It had Shepard's N7 logo interspersed with the Systems Alliance logo on the facets; the dodecahedron 'floated' just a few millimeters above its pedestal, which glowed a brilliant deep red. The saturnian ring was also there, with 'Normandy SR-2' backlit on opposite sides. The ring slowly 'orbited' the pedestal in the opposite direction of the dodecahedron above it.

Tali keyed the comlink on her omni-tool. "EDI, I believe I have completed the commander's new look - would you like to see it?"

_"I'll be there in a few moments, Tali. Should I ask Shepard to join us?"_

"Can you do that? It would be great to have her feedback." Closing her comlink, Tali leaned back in the chair, crossed her legs and placed her feet on the desk as she admired her handiwork. She stretched her arms over her head and rotated her shoulders, trying to ease the stiffness there. It would be nice to be able to remove her suit and have real air on her face and body, but she needed a clean room to make that a reality. Or did she…? She would have to ask EDI - perhaps being partly synthetic would rule out the need for a suit full time.

*** DECK THREE • COMPUTER CORE COMPARTMENT ***

EDI lifted an anti-tamper cover on the console and touched the contact inside, rejoining the computer core. " _Shepard, would you join Tali and me in your quarters on deck one?_ "

_"What's up EDI?"_ Shepard had been monitoring the engineering deck. Gabby had returned from the galley, but left for some much needed sleep in the crew quarters when she saw Adams and Donnelly talking just outside the aft starboard entry. _"I'm in engineering and in the crew's mess. It is… fascinating to be in more than one location simultaneously. I still need some coaching in how to keep it all sorted."_

" _Tali and I have something to show you, and I will need to give you some instruction on its use._ "

_"My new interface!? You have a way for me to talk to my friends… the crew?"_ It was all Shepard could do to contain her excitement… It felt like her birthday - which in a sense it was – and Christmas all rolled into one big present.

" _Join us in your cabin and see for yourself,_ " responded EDI.

Shepard didn't want to stretch herself any further - not yet. That time would come once the _Normandy_ was back in space, heading home. She had some thoughts on how she could use the ship's stealth, speed and weaponry once they were near the Sol system. For now, she continued to monitor Samantha's quiet conversation with Kaidan and Liara, while moving herself from engineering to the loft. It would be great to be able to 'talk' to Tali, and the biggest thrill of all was going to be springing the surprise she and EDI had created just for an extra-special quarian!

*** DECK THREE • CREW'S MESS ***

Samantha was keeping her voice low, but there was no doubt in the major's mind about the intensity of her feelings as she talked about her loathing of the Prothean on board. "I do not understand why you are so hell bent on defending his presence, Sir. He's a bloody imperialist…  He would have us all in bondage if he could; EDI would be a dismembered pile of scrap and the geth would all be destroyed! I do not feel sorry for him because he's the last of his race. I say we put a bullet between one pair of eyes so his race is well and truly extinct!"

"Samantha, I know you do not like Javik, but really, murder?" Liara had been silent while Traynor had been talking to Kaidan, but felt she had to get involved. "Javik was a big help in defeating the Reapers. He was…"

"…Bullshit, Liara!" Sam turned to face her squarely. "That's total bullshit! The only thing he did whenever he was on Shepard's ground team was point his gun and shoot. Hell, Private Campbell could have done that, and you wouldn't have had to worry she might 'accidentally' shoot you in the back. Are you so damn naïve as to think, for one moment, he gives a flying fu..."

"Traynor!" Alenko had to get this situation under control before Samantha actually found a way to implement her 'bullet between the eyes' scenario.

Sam wasn't finished, and she didn't give a damn if she was relieved of duty for her defiance of protocol. "Has he ever called anybody on this ship by their proper name?" she asked them both. "It's always 'human this', 'asari that' or 'turian kiss my arse'! Hell, he thought we should all use his Prothean language tutorial program," she made quotation marks with her fingers, " 'intended for servant races being inducted into the empire'. He's just a goddamned collector, waiting for a Reaper to convert him!" The specialist was so angry she was almost in tears.

"Samantha, that's not true at all. What's gotten into you? I've never seen you so ready to kill anyone." Liara put a hand on her shoulder. "This is about the collector attack on Horizon, isn't it? Sam, I'm sorry for what happened on Horizon, but Javik was not responsible. He was still in stasis, buried beneath centuries of passing seasons on Eden Prime. If Cerberus hadn't excavated his bunker..."

"We all would have been much better off!" Traynor wasn't ready to capitulate. "The only reason Shepard brought him along was to keep him from becoming another pawn of Cerberus. We only delayed the inevitable, Liara. The Illusive Man would have turned him into a husk… or a Collector. The technology is still in that Sanctuary lab on Horizon and that bloody station orbiting Anadius."

"Samantha, please." Kaidan looked at her intently. "I am asking you as a favor to me, please don't do anything without talking more with Liara, and Shepard." That last had brought Sam's full attention on Alenko. Tired, whiskey colored eyes met glistening, angry eyes of coffee-brown. "EDI and Tali will have Shepard's interface ready in less than a day. Forget that I am your commanding officer. Shepard was… is, my friend. The Collector attack on Horizon was overwhelming for me as well. For two years I thought I had lost a person I respected and cared about immeasurably. To suddenly be face-to-face with her on Horizon, to find out she was working for Cerberus? That was like a kick to the groin, especially since she refused to apologize for doing what she believed was justified."

Kaidan continued, "You lost your colony to the Collectors, Sam, I get that. Shepard lost her colony at the age of sixteen to batarian slavers. She had hidden herself, and watched as they murdered her parents. When the Alliance arrived, Anderson found Rachaél, Cobra pistol still in hand; she was on her knees, outside her home in a near catatonic state, surrounded by nearly twenty dead batarians. She had killed most of them with her pistol. Anderson said a number of them had broken necks. It wasn't known at the time, but Shepard's exposure to eezo two years prior had begun to manifest itself as biotic ability, and it's now suspected that she simply attempted to twist their heads off after shooting them in the knees."

"Wait, she crippled them, then _killed_ them?"

"Uh huh," Kaidan replied quietly. "Six of them, at least. It took five months of intense psychiatric therapy to get her head back on straight. She has carried what happened on Mindoir with her ever since that day. And after Elysium, her hatred for batarians knew no bounds. When the Alliance attacked Torfan in retaliation, she hunted down and killed every batarian she could find, even those who surrendered. She wiped them all out. It's why she's still referred to by many batarians as the 'Butcher of Torfan'."

Sam covered her face with both hands. Rubbing her eyes, she said, "I wasn't aware of her colony history, or her hatred of batarians."

"She's mellowed in the years since," Kaidan replied. "I think she felt a great deal of remorse about her destruction of the Alpha relay, but I know her well enough to believe she'd do it again in a heartbeat if it would delay the arrival of the Reapers." Kaidan finished his coffee, now almost cold. Grimacing, he got up. "I have to get some sleep. Think on what we've talked about, Specialist Traynor." He grinned. "When you speak to Shepard, I'm sure she'll have an opinion as well."

*** DECK ONE • THE LOFT ***

The door slid open and EDI walked into the room. Turning to inspect Tali's handiwork, she smiled and said, "That is most impressive, Tali. I believe Shepard will take pleasure in her new look. All we need to do is instruct her in its use and the use of the speech software I have enhanced with her vocal patterns."

Tali moved so EDI could access the terminal. EDI's fingers flew over the interface; in a few moments, she turned towards the glowing avatar and asked, "Commander Shepard, can you hear me?" After a few seconds, EDI entered a new command in the terminal, then repeated her question, "Shepard, are you there?"

Tali stood behind EDI, nervously wringing her hands. "Maybe she can't hear you."

The dodecahedron abruptly spun around, making Tali jump. An almost familiar voice came from overhead speakers; it sounded as if EDI and Shepard were speaking together, saying the exact same words at the exact same time, with a slight edge of electronic flanging. "I can hear you EDI. Hi, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy." The dodecahedron had varied the brightness of the N7 labeled facets in time and intensity with her speech.

"Shepard!" Tali cried, "It's really you! It is so good to hear your voice. There are so many questions I want to ask! Can you see us? What's it like being in the Normandy computer?" She was so giddy to have Shepard back, in any form, she was literally jumping up and down like a child waiting for a turn on a carnival ride.

"It is good to be able to communicate with you again. I am still unable to see you…"

EDI interrupted with, "… there are cameras everywhere, Shepard. Just let me…" she opened her omni-tool and entered several commands. "There, you should have instantaneous access to any camera on the ship. There are four in this room alone."

A small point of red light appeared on the wall above the aft aquarium. "Thanks EDI. I was going a little crazy, being blind all the time." Referring to the ultraviolet and red projection on the desk, she asked, "Is that what I'll look like to the crew?" Her 'voice' was improving all the time; as she gained experience in using it, the sound of EDI's voice continued to fade as Shepard's grew stronger.

Tali looked at the projected image, then began to nervously 'dry wash' her hands as she turned to face the wall above the aquarium and asked in a quiet, almost embarrassed tone, "Do you like it, Shepard? I wanted to give you something that would be a visual reminder to the _Normandy_ crew of their captain."

Tali's use of 'Captain' in place of 'Commander' was not lost on Shepard. It was a rank she had never attained, yet the quarian people had always used the title for her when she had visited the _Rayya_ in defense of Tali; Tali herself had also always treated Shepard as if she were captain of the _Normandy_.

"Tali, it's remarkably beautiful. Your artistry honors me, more than you will ever know. Thank you. And now, EDI and I have something for you - a reward for all your hard work. EDI?"

EDI motioned Tali back into the alcove as she moved out towards the aquarium. "Tali, Shepard and I have had more than a few meetings since she was… brought back on board the Normandy. One of the things we wanted to do was give you a gift."

"A gift? For me?" Tali could feel her heart beating faster. What could these two have done?

"That's right, Tali. Watch this." Shepard said. With that, a semi-opaque kinetic barrier appeared, blocking the entire alcove from the entryway wall to Shepard's model ship display case, floor to ceiling; it wrapped around the back side of the model display case and ended at the starboard wall. "This area is now a 'clean' room, Tali, exclusively for your use. I know it's a bit cramped for elbow room, but it does include the bathroom. You can shed your envirosuit for a bit, take a nice long shower using purified water, then grab one of my robes and relax for a time without having to worry about getting sick. There are plenty of towels and lots of nicely scented dextro soaps and shampoos." Tali could feel a lump forming in her throat. "You need to wait for a few minutes for the scrubbers to clean the air of contaminates before you get undressed. It's entirely possible the synthetic blending that took place in your body will enable you to live on the ship without your mask. We'll work on extending the barrier once the Normandy is fully powered up and flying again. We hope you enjoy it."

Tali was openly crying now, the tears coming fast and furious. "Oh Shepard, and EDI," she sobbed, "this is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. I can never thank you enough!" She came through the barrier with her arms extended and hugged EDI. "This hug is for you as well, Shepard." she said, trying to get her emotions back in check.

EDI was puzzled. "Tali, if you are so happy, why are you crying?"

Shepard answered for Tali. "She's crying for joy, EDI. The emotions for sadness and happiness are very close together in most people. Quarians are no different from humans in that respect."

EDI hugged Tali in return, thinking to herself it was nice, being able to embrace her friend, feeling her warmth, even through her suit. She wondered if this was the reason humans frequently hugged each other. She smiled at the quarian as Tali pulled away and bounced back through the barrier. Her silhouette could be seen through the barrier, shifting as she started the process of removing her suit. "Tali, would you like me to clean and service your suit while you shower?"

"That would be great EDI, if it's not too much trouble," she said with a sniffle. "There are supplies in my locker. Thank you… both of you. Your thoughtfulness means so much to me."

"Logging you out, Tali." Shepard replied, as she shut down the camera and her projection.


	4. HOMEWARD BOUND: Part Two

This chapter reveals a bit more about Rachaél's time on Mindoir during the batarian slaver raids – I have resorted to _italics_ for relating her history. There is also the tale of James, his trophy and the aftermath.

* * *

*** DECK FIVE • SHUTTLE BAY ***

_· Vega's Surprise ·_

James sauntered out of the elevator and hollered, "Hey Esteban! Come look at the new trophy I scored from the commander's quarters!"

Cortez paused from his repair work on the aft starboard thruster of the shuttle and joined James as he moved past the island consoles towards his weapons bench. "What's up, Vega?  What did Tali want?"

"Check this out."  Vega moved around his workbench to the wrap-around shelf adjacent to the autolathe.  Moving some loose pistol parts aside, he carefully placed his burden on the end of the shelf closest to the machine, then started to remove the black covering.

"Wait a minute, Vega.  Isn't that one of Shepard's hoodys?"

"That's very observant, Esteban.  There just may be hope for you yet," James grinned.  "I needed to keep this movement stealthy… de bajo perfil, so as not to attract attention."  James gripped the thing under the hoody at its base, twisting it this way and that; he was rewarded with a low, angry buzzing sound.  Satisfied with his placement, he gathered the hoody at its top and with an exaggerated flourish, yanked it off.  "Ta Da-a-a-a-a-a!"

His effort was rewarded with a blood-curdling scream from the thoroughly pissed-off husk head.  Cortez moved back a step and said, "Isn't that the experiment Shepard retrieved from Dr. Bryson's lab on the Citadel?  How did you wind up with it?"

"Tali was tired of it scaring the bejesus out of her every time she moved in that direction; the damn thing was even screaming when she tried to feed the hamster, and she'd had enough of it.  She was going to space it once we were on the move again, but remembered I wanted it as a… memento, of our adventure with the good doctor.  So now…" Vega waved his hand in front of its face.  It followed his hand with its eyes and moved itself on the base to track the motion, screeching the entire time; the energy used to make the ungodly noise also produced foul tendrils of smoke, which rose from the crackling energy surrounding the base and coming from its wide-open mouth.  Vega dropped his arm and moved a step back to stand next to Steve.  The thing quit making noise, but continued to glare malevolently at both of them.

"I don't know, Mr. Vega," Cortez slowly said.  "I'm inclined to agree with Tali.  What possible good could come from this experiment?"  He continued in a thoughtful manner, "Messing with this thing?  Sounds like a Cerberus created nightmare.  It wasn't even affected by Shepard's choice to join organics and synthetics."

"True enough," James replied.  "Still, I hate the thought of just dumping it.  I think we should hang onto the thing, at least until we can find Ann Bryson.  She may want it back."  James stretched until something popped in his neck.  "Damn, that felt good."  Waving Shepard's N7 hoody, he said, "I'm going to get this washed.  Might do a bit of my own laundry as well… take a shower, get some sleep."

Cortez started walking back towards the shuttle.  "See you later."

• • •

After leaving Tali in the loft, Shepard resumed her exploration of the Normandy's computer core.  She had heard Alenko telling Traynor about her _own_ history with batarians, on Mindoir and on Torfan.  What Kaidan hadn't told her, what he would never tell anyone, was just how merciless, how ruthless, how… successful… Shepard had been at hunting down the slavers on Torfan.  It had cost her the majority of her unit, but Rachaél, a lieutenant at the time, never wavered in her single-minded quest to rid the moon and the galaxy of every last batarian she could find.  If she were honest with herself, the operation on Torfan had cost her a piece of her soul. Her actions on Torfan continued the process of forging Shepard into the person she was now (well, she hadn't been a 'person' since the crucible, but that was splitting hairs), eight short years after her introduction to batarian slavers on Mindoir.

The Alliance officers who rescued her from that hell, Anderson in particular, didn't have an inkling as to how she broke the necks of a half dozen or so batarians.  She never told them.  She had been in an extreme state of emotional shock and physical exhaustion when she was discovered, pistol still in hand.  But…  _she remembered. She had always remembered… the attacks and brutality, the utter ruthlessness of the bastards.  When the alarm sounded, she had grabbed a gun and clips, then escaped from her house undetected and hidden in the undergrowth on a small rise beside her home.  She had watched, too scared to move, to even breathe, as they dragged her parents out of their home, beat them senseless.  They had held a gun to her father's head as they stripped her mother and gang-raped her.  Then their leader slit Hannah Shepard's throat and laughed as she bled out; her father was treated to a bullet in the head after witnessing the degradation and murder of his wife._

_She remembered… breaking cover, her pistol up and firing as she calmly walked towards the group of raiders.  They had not expected armed resistance, particularly from a sixteen-year old farm girl, a human!  Their arrogance as they started to return fire made their shots wildly inaccurate.  Rachaél could hear bullets whizzing by as she exchanged the empty clip for a fresh one.  Then an enemy round caught her in the head – a glancing, skip-off-the-skull hit.  Dazed and bleeding, she dropped to one knee.  Shaking her head to clear her vision, she looked around.  They were approaching from all sides, slowly, unsure.  She still had a gun with a full ammo clip. If they could disarm her without damaging her further, she could still bring a nice profit.  They might even have some fun with her before she was dragged off and sold.  They paused their advance as she regained her feet.  The passage of time slowed to a crawl for Rachaél Shepard._

_She remembered… blue energy forming at her left shoulder, coiling, glittering with electrical fire, descending down her arm in a twisting motion like ethereal snakes, into her hand, closed in a fist.  She remembered… bringing up her right arm, firing her pistol, her aim guided by something… primal within her, without conscious thought - just point, pull the trigger, acquire new target, point, pull the trigger, and on and on.  Headshots, for those closest, the immediate threats, in front, behind, to her side.  She was not consciously thinking about targets.  It was as if she had entered another zone, a place where she watched her body become an unstoppable force, continually moving, spinning around, dropping down, rolling sideways, always coming up facing a new target and eliminating each new threat as it presented itself._

_Knees… she had begun taking out the knees of the rapists as they came for her.  They had thought her helpless.  She remembered… confident, arrogant looks, instantly replaced with expressions of shock, pain, utter disbelief, as she took them down around her.  They were all lying on the ground, moaning, crying in misery, unable to even crawl, either towards her, or away to some imagined safety.  She remembered… using her left hand to grab the genitals of each, through their clothing. Just a bit of applied biotic pressure was all she needed to painfully emasculate each of them.  She looked at them, studied them as they clutched at their wounds, screaming in agony.  Between screams, one or two managed to beg for mercy.  Raising her left arm, she pointed at each one in turn.  Their screams for mercy, for forgiveness, were abruptly silenced as she unthinkingly, unconsciously applied biotic pressure to their heads, twisting them around until she heard the sound of their necks snapping, the sudden quiet as their lives were ended as brutally as the many lives they themselves had destroyed._

_The ring leader, the one that had slit her mother's throat, she saved for last.  He had managed to retrieve his knife, which he awkwardly swung at her legs as she moved back towards him.  She stepped on his wrist, pinning his hand to the ground.  Removing the knife from his nerveless fingers, she regarded him unemotionally. With a snap of her wrist, she buried the knife to its hilt in the dirt next to his head.  He had quit screaming, was now merely moaning in pain, from the bullets in his knees, from the torn off appendages between his legs.  She caused him more agony as she placed her left hand, palm down, fingers spread wide inches from each of his four eyes.  Making a clenching motion with her fingers, she used a bit of the blue energy to snatch each of the bastard's eyes from his head.  He had thought he could not know more pain.  He was wrong.  He continued to scream until he was unable to inhale any more air, as she applied biotics to his windpipe, slowly crushing it.  He died in agony.  She looked around her.  There were no more raiders in view, no sounds of others. These had been the last ones left._

_The ethereal blue fire faded from her hand and arm.  Her accidental exposure to eezo two years prior had begun to manifest itself that day, even without an implant. She dropped to her knees, pistol still in her right hand, her entire being drained by the energy she had expended.  Her shoulders slumped as her torso rocked back until she was sitting on her lower legs, her head tilted down, chin on her chest, eyes staring, unseeing. This was how Anderson and his squad found her some hours later._

_She spent months in rehab.  Faceless people in white lab coats, attempting to draw her out, give her a reason for the senseless attack and loss of life on her colony, and her part in it all.  She finally convinced them she was as sane as they were.  She wasn't sure if she had convinced herself. There were nightmares, always.  Eight short years… a lifetime later… came Torfan._

_The batarians had used her history on Torfan as support in their attempt to have her tried by the Alliance and executed for genocide.  The annihilation of over 300,000 batarian colonists and the complete obliteration of the Bahak star system with its Mass Relay proved to the Hegemony that Shepard would stop at nothing to eliminate the batarian race._   _"I damn near ended them,"_ she thought to herself.   _"The Reapers simply finished the job for me."_   She suddenly felt the need to talk to someone, but who?   _"Liara! "_   She moved to the port side cabin on deck three...

*** DECK THREE • LIARA'S QUARTERS ***

Dr. T'Soni was sitting at a terminal in her quarters, just aft of a viewport showing a bit of sky and some of the vegetation of the planet on which they currently resided. She was studying reports she had managed to download just prior to Joker's forced landing.  As she reread a paragraph for the third time, a sudden flash of color appeared in her peripheral vision.  Turning to her right, she came face-to-interface with the commander's new avatar.  "By the goddess," she exclaimed!  "Rachaél, is that… you?"

"You were expecting…?"

"Shepard, I find it hard to believe it is really you.  I felt it… the moment just before the crucible fired, I felt a void, an absence in my heart, when you died.  I know it sounds silly, but I have been lost without you.  How do I know this shiny new interface truly represents you?"

"Remember when we were all nearly killed by an exploding M35, and I had the Normandy retrieve you and James during the final ground assault in London?"  Liara looked down for a moment, then back up to the glowing avatar as Shepard continued, "I made you leave on the Normandy - I _made_ you leave me.  I told you then that no matter what happened, you meant everything to me, and you always would.  You still mean everything to me, Liara.  You have no idea how frustrating it is to be able to see you, talk to you and not be able to touch you or hug you."

Liara smiled.  "Rachaél, I'm so sorry.  Although I'm happy you are still with us and to hear your memory is intact, it is difficult for me too.  Now, please tell me why you chose as you did.  I am still having difficulty accepting we are all partially synthetic.  EDI explained it all during our meeting.  I want to hear it from you."

Shepard replied, "You may wish to sit on the chair beside me and put your feet up.  Bring something to drink as well.  It may take a while to tell, especially if you have questions, and I am sure you will."

• • •

Several hours had passed, with Shepard and Liara talking about all that had happened to each of them after the Normandy left the battlefield.  Liara yawned and stretched, then checked the digital readout on the nightstand by her bed.  "My word, Shepard, it is very late, for me anyway.  I must get some rest."

Shepard ran an internal check of the time, and agreed.  "Okay, maybe we can talk more tomorrow.  I have to visit a few more people before the ship leaves this planet. And Liara," Shepard paused, then, "I will get us, all of us, home.  You will see Thessia again, my love.  I promise."

"Shepard, what will happen to you once the Normandy returns home.  The Alliance will never allow you to remain on board as part of the computer core."

Shepard replied in a darker tone, "They won't be able to do anything to me, Liara.  I have been formulating plans for using this ship, plans I cannot yet divulge.  Trust me.  I will reveal my intentions in good time." Shepard dimmed the lights in Liara's quarters, and rotated all the monitors towards the wall.  "Now, I will leave you to rest.  If you do not want your quarters monitored while you sleep, I will abide by your wishes."

Liara replied as the avatar began to disappear from view, "It would make me more comfortable if you could stay, Shepard."

"As you wish."  The avatar did not dim further.

*** DECK FIVE • SHUTTLE BAY ***

The elevator doors hissed open, revealing Gabriella Daniels leaning against the rear wall, using both hands to hang onto a towel slung around her neck.  She was wearing form fitting exercise shorts that came to just above her knees, and a sports bra made of similar fabric.  Although her feet were bare, she had her hands taped past her wrists.  Grabbing her equipment bag and a bottle of water, she exited the elevator and moved silently into the hanger bay, heading towards Vega's exercise area.  As she moved, she checked to see if James or Steve were at their usual posts…  Both were absent, probably having breakfast on deck three.  She set her gear down near the heavy bag, and began her five-minute stretching routine, all the while failing to notice the vile stare from the always awake husk head experiment on the nearby shelf, or the very intrigued stare from the deck four observation window.

Stretching done, she approached the bag and began her exercise routine, bobbing and weaving as she jabbed and cross-punched repeatedly, pouring all her strength into each movement as she lightly moved back and forth in front of the bag.   _'I still need to ask James if he can hang this from above and eliminate the stand,'_ she thought to herself.  She then began using her legs and feet to punish the bag, bouncing it with every kick.  To finish, she combined her moves, jabbing, kicking, punching, all the while pirouetting on the toes of first one foot, then the other.  At the end of an intense twenty-five minutes, she was soaked with sweat, her hair wet, face flushed.  She moved away from the bag, grabbed her towel and wiped the perspiration from her face and upper arms.  She heard the elevator door slide open as she took a long drink from her water bottle. _'Must be James'_  she thought.  As she moved to lean on the end of Vega's workbench, lots of things happened all at once.

James appeared around the corner and said, "Hey Gabby, ¿que pasa?"  The husk head caught sight of James, then looked back at Gabby, then gave vent to its hate with the loudest, most hideous scream ever.  As Gabby jumped into action, James tried to grab her arm and missed.  "NO Gabby - no no no NO!"

In an instant, Gabby had spun into position; she planted her right foot, pivoting her body down and around her hip as she brought her left knee to her chest and kicked.  The husk head simply exploded when her heel connected with its nose, splattering ick all over the wall above the shelf, all over Gabby, and all over James. Neither one spoke for several seconds.  Finally Gabby turned to look at James.  He had such a shocked look on his face, she immediately felt sorry for him.  In a slightly embarrassed tone she said, "Sorry Lieutenant, it surprised me.  I didn't know you had it down here."

James grabbed her towel, and after carefully wiping the worst of the goo from his own face, he refolded the towel clean side out and offered it to the thoroughly mortified engineer.  "That's okay, Gabby," he said in a sad voice.  "I'm sorry you had to discover it that way."  He brightened and said, "That was an amazing move, though.  Suppose you could teach me how to do that sometime?"

"Anytime Lieutenant…  Although," she eyed his chest, arms and shoulders as she pointed over her own shoulder with her thumb, "you may be a bit too top heavy for a move like that."  Grabbing the proffered towel, she swiped it down her face, tossed it into her equipment bag and headed for the elevator.  "I need a shower," she said with a grin.  "Looks like you do too.  See you around, sir."

• • •

Donnelly met her as she got off the elevator on deck three.  "That was simply amazing, girl.  I was watching you through the windows above the hanger deck.  That workout makes you look great in all the right places!  But wha' happen'd to ya when Vega arrived.  And what IS that stuff ya have all over ya?"

Gabby regarded him with a pitying look.  "Kenneth, I have a present for you."

"Really?  What is it?"

"This."  Dropping her equipment bag, she moved quickly towards him before he could react and grabbed him in a tight hug, making sure there was as little space between them as physically possible.  She finished with a quick kiss on his cheek.  "Now you need a change of clothes and a shower too.  See you in engineering."


	5. HOMEWARD BOUND: Part Three

• Gabby Gets A Surprise - Donnelly Gets Embarrassed •

* * *

 *** DECK FOUR • ENGINEERING ***

Major Alenko was talking to Chief Engineer Adams.  As he was turning to leave, Tali entered through the port side door.  “Good morning Tali. Ready to light a fire in the _Normandy’s_ belly?”

“Of what possible use would a fire be?  Sounds dangerous,” was her skeptical reply.

Donnelly and Daniels had entered through the starboard side door in time to hear the exchange.  “It’s old Earth slang from the twentieth century, Tali,” Gabby said.  “He’s just asking if we’re ready to restart the drive core.”

Ken added, “Yeah, we’re going to fire her up... that’s more slang.”

“Why would fire have anything to do with a drive core?”

Kaiden looked at Adams, who gave a slight nod.  “Tali, they’re joking with you.  But, we do need to get the drive core back online.  Are you ready to help us do that?”

“Of course,” she said.  “The _Normandy_ has been ground side for too many days.  It is past time we got her back in the sky and heading for our homes.”  She added, “However, I would feel better if we had a computer assisting in the process.  Can we ask EDI to assist?”

“EDI’s not part of the ship’s systems any more.” Adams answered.  “However, we may know someone that can help.”

* * *

 * * * DECK THREE • PORT SIDE CREW LOUNGE * * *

Garrus Vakarian was relaxing in the crew lounge, staring idly through the window at the world outside.  It was very rare that the Normandy was ever planet side, just because it was such a large ship – it was simply more efficient to use a shuttle for ground-side missions; _this_ grounding hadn’t been anyone’s choice – it simply had to be done.  Garrus was amazed Joker was able to set the _Normandy_ down so gently, as the mass effect field was dying with the drive core shutdown.  It could have gone wrong in so many ways.  The appearance of Shepard’s avatar adjacent to the view port blast shield control jolted him out of his thoughts.  “Hi Garrus,” came a cheery voice.  “Been doing any target shooting lately?”

“Spirits, Shepard.  I thought you were dead, again!  I know what EDI said in our meeting, and I still didn’t believe you could have survived that blast of energy.”

“I was part of that blast of energy, Garrus.  And you do remember, don’t you, there’s no Vakarian without Shepard.  I also seem to recall being told by a certain turian that drinks are on him this time ‘round?  Don’t know how I’m supposed to even have a drink now... maybe through an emergency induction port?”

Garrus stood and walked to Shepard’s avatar.  “It appears you have a grasp of how to run around this ship.”  He could feel the emptiness in his heart beginning to recede, like a weight lifting.  “Hell, Commander, we were all feeling lost without you.  You sure it’s really you under all the violet and red paint?  Anyone could have programmed your voice...”

“... But not my memories, Garrus,” she finished his thought.  “I’ve already told EDI you’re the king of the bottle shooters.  I’m the only person that knows two other things about you.”

“And those would be...” he asked?

“How you spared Sidonis’ life when I asked.”  He looked at the floor and chuckled in his throat at this.  “Kind of hard to shoot him with _your_ head in the way, Shepard.  So, what was the other thing that only you know about me?”

“I told you before the final battle on Earth that if I didn’t make it and you did, I would be looking down, and I would always have your back.  I still am, and I still do.”

Garrus turned and walked towards the gaming table to in an effort to hide his discomfort.  “Okay.  Now, tell me how you intend to get free of the _Normandy’s_ computer.  We rescued David Archer from Grissom Academy.  If he’s still alive, he may have some insight into how we can regain your mobility, independent of the _Normandy_.”

The beginning of a deep-seated vibration could be felt, as the drive core restart was initiated.  “Garrus, at this point, let’s just worry about getting to our home systems, or at least moving in that direction. I’m monitoring the engine restart on the bridge with Joker and on deck four, and I’m attempting to talk some sense into Javik in regards to his superiority complex.”

“Dammit, Rachaél, be careful.  Don’t spread yourself too thin.”

The use of her given name was not lost on Shepard.  “I’ll be fine, Garrus.  Just be sure the big gun is still correctly calibrated.  We may have to use it at some point.”  Hell, she was sure she would have to use it, but that was a conversation for another time.  “We’ll talk later.”

* * *

 * * * DECK FOUR • ENGINEERING * * *

“Did someone just request a computer presence?”  The voice sounded very familiar to Donnelly and Daniels.  They both looked to their left, first at Tali, then at Alenko and Adams.  Tali walked past the console and took a few steps into the short passageway to the drive core monitoring station. As she did so, an apparition in near ultraviolet and red materialized just to the left of Donnelly’s console and said, “I am ready to assist you, Engineers Donnelly, Daniels.  I agree with Tali’Zorah.  The _Normandy_ has been out of her element for too long, as have I.”

Donnelly’s mouth fell open as he backed away from his console.  Gabby moved towards the brilliant glow from the dodecahedron and said hesitantly, “Commander Shepard?  Is that really you?”

“It’s me, Gabby.  Not in the flesh, but it is me.  Tell me, does Ken still like your legs, or has he been admiring other parts of your anatomy?  I expect he’s learned to have a healthy fear of those legs after the incident in the shuttle bay.  I heard what you did to my… er, Vega’s… souvenir.”

“Oh, Commander!  It is so good to hear your voice!  How did you… what happened to you on the Citadel?”  Gabby wiped her eyes.  She was finding it difficult to talk as her throat tightened with emotion. “God, Commander, I thought…” she looked at Ken, then at Alenko, Adams and Tali in turn, “…we all thought you were…” she couldn’t say the word.

“Dead, Gabby,” Shepard finished for her.  “I’m sorry, but the word you’re searching for is ‘dead’.  And, when I fired the Crucible, my body, my physical shell, actually did die there.  But that which is _me_ survived.  I think all the things Thane Krios told me about the body and the spirit within the body being two distinct things must have some basis in fact.”  She paused, thinking of the drell’s final wishes for her before his death. _‘...and she will be a companion to you as she was to me.’_  Continuing, she said thoughtfully, “I can still feel Thane’s presence on this ship, his spirit. Sounds crazy, but for an assassin, his spirituality was astonishing.  I regret I did not know him better.”

Shepard continued, “I really don’t know exactly how my spiritual self was transported here.  EDI says it may have had something to do with all the Cerberus cyber-crap implants in my physical body being ‘tied’ to this ship, since the implants and this ship were all produced by Cerberus, and a lot of what I was… what this ship is… is based on Reaper tech.  The most important thing for you to know, Gabby,” she paused, then continued, “for all of you to realize, is I’m here, I’m still alive, and as I now reside in the computer core on this vessel, I _am_ the Normandy.”

Gabby’s eyes narrowed and she pointed at Shepard.  “It was you,” she said accusingly.  “Wasn’t it?  You aborted the startup sequence yesterday! What tipped you off?  How did you know what to do?  I was so upset, and you let me…”

“Gabby, I sensed the error in your code and overrode the startup sequence in plenty of time to prevent a meltdown.  I left the evidence for Adams to find, because I wasn’t ready to reveal my presence.  Hell, I had no interface.  Which, by the way, is really elegant.  It’s Tali’s design.  Like it?” she finished, spinning around once as she deftly changed the subject.  “If I had your legs, perhaps I could get Donnelly to comment on my figure,” she said, in a tone suggesting she was speaking with a really wicked grin.

Donnelly stammered a reply, his Highlands accent becoming thicker as his embarrassment grew.  “I would never do that, Commander… you’re the commander, ya know?”  His discomfort grew, as did the redness in his cheeks.  “It wouldn’t be proper for me to comment on… er… notice, how well… how nicely, you are… were… ah… put together.”  Everyone in engineering was covering their mouths, doing their best (snickers and giggles notwithstanding) to conceal their amusement at Donnelly’s discomfort.

“Why, thank you, Kenneth.  It’s nice to know you noticed me for _my_ attributes, and not just asari matriarchs or EDI.  Just make sure the only female you continue to notice in future is Ms. Daniels.  It’ll probably be healthier for you.”  Snickers and giggles grew louder.  Donnelly’s blush extended down his neck and past his ears.  Shepard was afraid Adams was going to fall over, he was trying so hard to keep a straight face.  A stammered “Yes, ma’am” was all Donnelly could manage.

Turning serious, Shepard continued, “Now, let’s get this ship moving again.  All of you have had a really nice, long vacation, but it’s time we went home.  Let’s bring the reactors online and get the drive core running again, while we still have enough fuel on board to get us back in the sky and out of this system, wherever we are.”

Gabby grinned.  “Aye-aye, Ma’am.  Ken, get to your station.  Tali, I’d like your help with inputting code so Shepard doesn’t have to perform another preemptive shutdown.  And Commander…” she said, looking at Shepard’s ultraviolet and red form.  “…it’s damned good to have you back on this ship!  You belong here, in whatever form you choose.  Tali, you are an artist.  Nice job.”

As Adams went to his console, Alenko said, “Good luck, people.  Be careful,” then left the engineers to their task.

* * *

 * * * DECK TWO - BRIDGE * * *

At the same time Shepard was reintroducing herself to Gabby, Donnelly and Adams, she was also reintroducing herself to Joker on the bridge.  Her avatar was sitting to the left side of his chair, base positioned between the covers for the cyber warfare and weapons controls.  These were also within her purview as ship’s computer.  Shepard had been working very meticulously on learning every nook and cranny of the commuter core, as it was likely to be her home for some time to come.  EDI had shown her where to place herself in the unlikely event of a power failure or forced restart.  Shepard had already decided that nobody was going to perform a shutdown of the core.  She had learned a great deal about her new environment since her arrival, and had reconfigured several key areas with new software to prevent remote tampering with her power supply.

She had learned, with EDI’s assistance, how to multi-task in different locations in the ship, so while she was monitoring the startup sequence in engineering, she was also observing the process from Joker’s perspective.  She was talking to Joker as she watched the progress down below.  “I’m glad you were able to put the ship down without further damage, Joker.  I’m not sure, but I feel as if we are quite some distance from a repair port.” The _Normandy_ was beginning to pulse with life, as if its heart was being restarted after a long rest.  “I’m also happy nobody tried to get a message out.  The Reapers are still running around out there.  I may have stopped them, and they may be helping with reconstruction, but I need more information on their current status, and I don’t want them to be aware the _Normandy_ still exists… not yet, anyway.”

“That may be hard to do, Commander,” was Joker’s reply.  “How do we keep them from detecting our signature once we’re flying again?  We’re still wired with the Reaper IFF… will that be enough to deceive them?  And if I recall, it was your choice to stir in all the synthetic parts for us organics; did the Reapers gain some organic parts in the exchange?  Will they even bother us?”

“They must have had organic material added to their machine hearts.  We’ll monitor their communications on a stealth basis.  Keep our transponder offline,” she responded.  “I don’t trust them.”  Continuing in a darker tone, she whispered, “I doubt I ever will.”

She added, “Be sure to perform an external sensor sweep of our hull as soon as we’re off the surface.  I don’t want any surprise decompressions in space.  Begin your pre-flight checklist.  I want you ready to lift off as soon as the drive core is back to full power.  I believe we have about forty-five minutes.  Your pre-flight should take thirty-five to complete.  Have EDI come up to assist.”

“Aye, Ma’am.  It’s good to have you back on… or in… the ship.”

* * *

 * * * DECK FOUR • JAVIK’S QUARTERS * * *

As the core restart began, Shepard continued to visit her team.  She appeared in Javik’s quarters about the same time she appeared in the cockpit with Joker, setting her avatar just to the left of the wash basin at which the Prothean could normally be found.  “Javik?”

He appeared to have been unaware of her appearance.  Turning his attention to her, he asked, “Is that you, Commander?  Are you now a machine, such as the EDI creature, or the geth?  Are you now able to do more than simply dim the lights?”

“Actually, Javik, I _am_ the _Normandy_.  And I understand the meeting to announce the inaccuracy of the rumors concerning my death did not go so well.  You still having a problem with machine intelligence?”

Javik looked at her intently, studying the rotating dodecahedron and the orbiting ring below.  “I simply spoke my mind, Commander.  Or should I just call you ‘Shepard’?  Do you still have a military rank?  You have Alliance and N7 badges on your facets.  As a computer aboard an Alliance warship, what title do you now hold?”  He moved, placing his left hand squarely in the middle of the apparition in front of him, then drew it back swiftly, as if he had touched a live wire.  Normally, touching anything gave Javik insight into everything about the object or being he touched. There was no insight to be gained from touching Shepard’s avatar.  It was a cold apparition, created out of thin air by holographic projectors.

“You can still call me ‘Commander’, Javik.  My physical body died – it became part of the burst of green energy that propelled the Normandy, and my… essence, if you will, to this spot in the galaxy.  The geth, EDI, the machines that tried to destroy us, are all partially organic now.  All organics, including yourself, have become partially synthetic.  You are now carrying an almost infinitesimal speck of my DNA, Javik, along with… nanites from the Reapers.  I had to add my own energy, my body, to the energy generated by the Catalyst in order to create this new reality.  The DNA of every living creature has been fused with something new. Have you seen your eyes in a mirror, Prothean?  They have the merest hint of a kaleidoscopic green tinge, a reminder of the contribution provided by the machines you hate, same as my eyes used to have a hint of red behind the pupils, a reminder of my own restoration by Cerberus.”

Javik started to speak, but was interrupted by Shepard.  “I brought you along, Javik, so Cerberus wouldn’t turn you into a Collector – the _last_ Collector.  Specialist Traynor regrets I didn’t toss you out an airlock once we left Eden Prime; neither Traynor nor Alenko have much sympathy for you.  I don’t see things the same way – never did.”

“Then why, Commander?  Why am I here?  You should have let me die on your planet.  I am the last of...”

“Dammit Javik, you are here because you _are_ the last of your kind!  You should try speaking with Liara T’Soni… really speaking _with_ her, not at her, as if she is some primitive cave dweller!  Hell, you treated all of us worse than children, incapable of intelligent thought.  The Protheans fought the Reapers for centuries, and still lost.  We managed to delay a Reaper invasion and defeat the heretic geth four years ago, and we just ended a full-scale war with the metal bastards in less than a year.  We united an entire galaxy to our cause, and we didn’t have to sacrifice our souls to get the job done.  I’d say that should earn all of us some respect, especially from you.”

Javik looked down, a bit taken aback by Shepard’s forcefulness.  “I am sorry, Commander Shepard.  It is hard for me to forget old ways of thinking, to embrace new concepts.  I will go to the asari’s… to Liara T’Soni’s cabin and ask her forgiveness, if she will accept it.  It will not be easy for me, but I will do it for you, Commander.”

“Don’t do it for _me_ , Javik.  Do it for _yourself,_ and for Liara,” Shepard replied.  “She will accept your apology, _if_ you are sincere.  Don’t just say what you think she wishes to hear this time, okay?  And while you are there, talk to Samantha Traynor as well.  She needs to know the Prothean on board isn’t going to stick a knife in her back while she’s sleeping.  If you wish me to be present, I will be there, but I really believe you need to do this on your own.”

“Thank you, Commander Shepard.  I will do as you suggest.”

Shepard’s avatar began to dissolve.  “Logging you out, Javik.”

* * *

 * * * ALL DECKS • NORMANDY * * *

“Okay Joker, time to see if we can still fly,” Shepard said.  “Pre-flight checklist complete?”

“Aye, ma’am.”

In Engineering, Shepard asked, “Daniels, Donnelly, Adams?  Is everything ready?  Tali, you okay back there?”

They all replied in turn: “My board’s green, Commander.”  “Everything’s peachy, Ma’am.”  “Systems are running within specs, Commander.”  “Fire’s lit, Shepard.”

“Okay, let’s…” in Engineering and on the Bridge simultaneously, “…get this ship airborne, Joker.”

“Yes, Ma’am!” was the enthusiastic reply.  Fingers flying over the controls, he eased the ship straight up several meters and stabilized its attitude as EDI engaged the inertial dampeners.  Joker gradually applied atmospheric thrusters; easing the ship forward and up, he gradually increased their forward speed and rate of climb until they were at maximum safe velocity.  As the air thinned with altitude, EDI conducted her external hull integrity inspection.  Finding nothing but some fresh scratches, she concluded her inspection and said to Joker, “I believe we can safely transition out of the atmosphere, Jeff.  Hull pressurization is complete.  Life support and HVAC are operating within specifications.  All departments are reporting checklists complete.  It is time to head for home, Flight Lieutenant.”

“That’s the best news I’ve heard in weeks, EDI.”  As the ship reached the outer fringes of planetary atmosphere, Joker seamlessly shut down the atmospheric thrusters while engaging the antiproton thrusters, their visible exhaust changing from dark blue to a blue-tinged white-hot glow as the throttles were opened up.  “So, where are we, and which way do I point this thing so we can find some H3?”

* * *

  _ **A/N:** Finally, the Normandy is on its way.  Thanks to _ Mighty Crouton _for a suggestion regarding Cartesian Dualism.  It’s an interesting concept, one I find fits in with Shepard’s new situation._


	6. HOMEWARD BOUND: Part Four

_Javik and Traynor reach an understanding_

* * *

 * * * DECK TWO • BRIDGE * * *

With the _Normandy_ in orbit around the unnamed planet that had been their refuge for the past several weeks, EDI and Shepard had plotted their galactic position, each working independently in order to avoid influencing the other’s results.  After each of them finished, they compared their calculations and were surprised to discover there was less than 0.021% difference in their results.  “EDI, I did not realize I had an aptitude for astronavigation,” remarked Shepard.  “Unfortunately, our calculations place us a helluva lot further from home than I had hoped.”

Joker asked, “So, ladies, save the good news for last.  What’s the bad news?  Don’t spare any miserable little detail.”

EDI responded, “We are still in inner council space, Jeff.”

“Eee-Deeeeee!”, Joker whined.  “I said bad news!  I like to save the good news for last, to help offset the bad news!  Now I’m really afraid to ask for the bad news.”

“Calculations show our current position to be near the turian home system, but it will still take some time for us to travel there,” she responded.

Shepard picked up the explanation, “It’s not as bad as it could be, but still...” she paused, then continued, “We’re in a section of a trailing galactic arm.  Closest relay would be in the Apien Crest.  Chatter we’ve picked up from the nearest Reapers says it’s been damaged... something about the containment rings being shattered.  Repairs are underway, and the immediate ‘upstream’ connection is the Serpent Nebula.  It’s some distance to travel, even at the FTL speeds the _Normandy_ is capable of reaching.”

“So, just how do you define ‘some time’?  EDI?  Shepard?”

“At _Normandy’s_ top speed, years,” replied EDI.  “However we will not be able to sustain full speed continuously; there is the matter of fuel and provisions.  And we will need to periodically discharge the drive core.  There are emergency rations in the cargo area on the hanger deck, but there are no extra stores of H3 available to us, and the _Normandy’s_ ability to ingest free hydrogen in interstellar space will be insufficient to replenish our stores as fast as they are expended.”

Joker replied in a depressed voice, “EDI, I can’t speak for the rest of the crew, but I am quite certain I would be dead in my leather seat _long_ before this ship reached the Apien Crest.  There has to be some other way we can do this.”

Shepard said, “We need to meet with Alenko and the rest of the team before we leave orbit.  EDI, set up a conference room meeting for... 1645.” She continued, “I have some research to do.”

* * *

* * * DECK THREE • PORT SIDE, LIARA’S QUARTERS * * *

While ‘Shepard-computer’ and ‘EDI-machine’ (as he liked to think of them) were busy calculating the ship’s location and deciding which way to jump, Javik was standing in front of the door to the asari’s quarters.  He had been attempting to touch the door lock (engaged and red) to announce his desire to enter.  He would have rather faced an entire group of Reapers without cover, armor or weapons (okay, maybe a plasma rifle) than go through this door - her door.

Javik had never had much use for other races, particularly primitives, and machine intelligence in particular.  But the human woman, Shepard, had been so... different... from others of her kind.  She had been a warrior first and foremost, a superb tactician and leader.  But she had also been... kind, welcoming, openly accepting the lone survivor of a lost, extinct race of people.  He had thought that perhaps, just perhaps, she did so to further her own standing with her asari lover, but no!  She was not capable of that sort of deception.  It would have been as visible to his senses as a light held in her hand.  She was simply a genuinely nice person.

That didn’t mean she couldn’t turn on the ‘bitch’ when she was crossed.  The more he considered this human... Shepard (he made himself silently say her name), the more he was convinced of the errors in his own beliefs.  He had never met anyone like her.  She had been, if not a friend, then a comrade, an associate, an... equal.  When she knew an upcoming mission had a high probability of encountering Reaper troops, she usually included him as a squad member.  He always felt most alive when protecting her flank; she always seemed to encounter more Reaper troops than should be possible, and their mindless attacks unerringly centered on her, generally to the exclusion of her other squad mates.  She had joked about it once, telling him the Cerberus cyber-implants in her body, being partially based on Reaper tech, made her stand out like a beacon to them. Whatever the reason, there had always been more than enough Reaper targets for his plasma rifle and biotics.

And now she was dead... well, her body was dead, if the EDI-machine was to be believed.  He was still unsure of his feelings regarding Shepard being the _Normandy’s_ computer.  Was it a massive deception, concocted by Alenko and EDI-machi... Edie (he made himself silently say _that_ name) to prevent the crew and himself from asking too many questions of the major?  He himself had never trusted machine intelligence.  He thought of the zha’til and their creators during his own cycle.  He believed all synthetics would eventually commit treachery against their creators… the geth rebellion against their own creators, the quarians, was more proof machines could not be trusted.  He advised Shepard to not trust the geth.  In the end, she brokered a peace between created and creators, and gained the allegiance of both.  It made Javik believe she could achieve almost anything, and he had to wonder if he had been incorrect in his thinking.

Enough!  Javik was a soldier.  He would move forward.  He touched the door lock, which responded with a chime, faintly audible from inside.  Liara responded, “Javik, what a surprise.”  There was a bit of sarcasm in her voice; he understood why when she continued, “Would you like to come in, or would you prefer to remain outside, wishing you were anywhere else on this ship?”

Javik glanced around before answering; he abruptly noticed a tiny, illuminated blue dot beside the door, indicating the location of a camera (probably one of several, he thought ruefully).  “I would like to speak with you asar...” catching himself, he continued, “Dr. T’soni, if you can spare the time.”

The door lock disengaged and turned green.  “Please come in.”

The door hissed open and Javik stepped inside, noting with a touch of astonishment the wall of monitors and the many power and data cables lying on the deck and hanging from bulkheads and ceiling.  He had known, of course, that the asari was the Shadow Broker.  He had never realized just what that title meant or how much time and energy was required to maintain her standing as the galaxy’s foremost information broker.  “Dr. T’Soni, I have...” Liara interrupted him, “Javik, please just call me Liara.”  She finished a memo on one of a dozen or so data pads scattered about her desk and gave him her full attention.  “Okay Commander Javik, to what do I owe this visit?”

* * *

 * * * DECK ONE • THE LOFT * * *

While Shepard was talking to EDI and Joker about the position of the _Normandy_ relative to the closest settled star system, she also appeared in her old quarters, on the shelf recently vacated by the husk head.  Looking at her model display case, she silently thanked Tali for giving the miserable thing to James, since it had been his idea to bring the damned thing aboard… The mess from Gabby’s attack would have been a lot harder to deal with up here.  Keying in to Traynor’s omni tool, she said, “Specialist Traynor, please come to the captain’s quarters on deck one.”

“Right away, ma’am,” was the reply – the ‘ma’am’ pronounced as ‘mum’.

Shepard did not have long to wait.  The specialist pinged the door within two minutes.  “Come in, Traynor.”

Samantha entered and looked around.  Spotting Shepard’s avatar on the shelf, she put her hand to her mouth as she caught her breath.  “My word, Commander.  I heard that Tali and EDI had created an interface for you to use, but I never expected this.”  As she approached the shelf, she continued, “It’s a quite lovely representation of you, ma’am.”  She reached out to touch the dodecahedron, as if she were going to place the palm of her hand against someone’s cheek.  As her hand came within a few centimeters of the projection, she felt the hair on her arm rise; a small violet spark arced between the slowly rotating globe and her hand, causing her to yelp and jump as she yanked her hand back.

“Sorry, Specialist.  I should have warned you about my electric personality.”  Sam just knew she could hear the smirk in Shepard’s voice.  Shepard continued, “Samantha, I asked you up here so we could talk about your dislike of Javik.”

“There is nothing to discuss, Commander.  I do not like the son of a… whatever the Prothean version of a ‘bitch’ would be.  He is a contemptible, scum-sucking pig, and that insults the pig.  Like I told the major, he’s just a Collector, waiting to be converted so he can kill us all in our sleep.” The specialist sounded upset, as if something was bothering her.

“Sounds personal, Samantha.  You once told me you were visiting Horizon when the Collectors attacked the colony.”  Shepard softly asked, “Were your parents taken in the assault?”

Samantha was holding her mouth with one hand.  “I don’t know… I don’t know,” she cried, tears overwhelming her efforts to keep them in check.  “I never saw them… never found them or heard from them after that night.”  She sat in the desk chair as her chest heaved with deep, anguished sobs. “I keep… trying… to find something… anything…” she tried to talk between gasps for air, “that would point to a location.”  Her grief overcame her. Face buried in her hands, elbows digging into her thighs, she cried for several minutes before finally achieving a bit of control.  “Rachaél, I am so sorry.”  Wiping her eyes with the backs of her hands, she continued, “I did not want to burden anyone, particularly you, with my loss.  You have lost so much, I just…”

Shepard interrupted, saying quietly, almost as if speaking to herself, “Samantha, you should have told me about this when we first left Earth.  It is not a burden, sharing someone’s grief over that kind of loss.”  Traynor heard a small catch in Shepard’s voice, something that _should_ have been impossible.  Her voice is just computer generated. How can she feel emotion?  Shepard continued, “The violent loss of one’s parents… is not an easy thing to live with.  I watched both my parents die when I was sixteen years old.  Kaiden didn’t tell you the whole story, the reason I hate batarians with every fiber of my being; some day I may tell you what happened that day on Mindoir, but not today… it’s still a raw wound after all these years.”

“I cannot imagine anything worse than not knowing what happened to your parents.  We can speculate ‘til hell freezes over and still be no closer to knowing the truth.  Please, go speak to Javik.  You may want to use the sink to clean up first… there’s fresh washcloths and towels.  I promise you’ll feel more sympathy towards him afterwards, and then you can talk to Liara about digging for more information on Horizon.”  The voice now carried the hint of an unseen smile, “After all, what good does it do to have the Shadow Broker on this ship if her services can’t be used by _us_ occasionally?”

* * *

 * * * DECK THREE • PORT SIDE, LIARA’S QUARTERS * * *

“I have been talking to Shepard about my situation, Liara T’Soni.  It is… unsettling to hear her voice, to see a holographic image representing her presence, without being able to gauge the veracity of her statements.”  Javik looked down at the table with his secondary eyes as he continued to watch the asari with his primary, larger eyes. “However, I deem the existence of the computer entity to be the core… the spirit, of Commander Shepard; our discussions led us to my treatment… my… mistreatment of you, and of others, during my time on this vessel.  Upon reflection, I realize my actions, my words, brought dishonor upon myself and the Prothean people, and for that, Liara T’Soni, I can only offer my humble request for forgiveness.”

Liara slowly stood up, turning to fully face the now embarrassed looking soldier.  “Javik, I do not believe you need to apologize.  I do not know how I would respond to being brought out of stasis after fifty thousand years; there is nothing I am aware of to prepare for that kind of cultural shock. What I do know is your presence here on this ship, in this cycle, is not a result of some random throw of the dice.”

“Dice?”

“Sorry, it’s a human device, a pair of cubes with each facet bearing painted dots, increasing from one to six on each facet,” she explained.  “They’re used in various games of chance to generate random integers.”

“You are theorizing my discovery on Eden Prime was not a result of luck?”  Javik was puzzled.  “I find this concept difficult to accept.”

“Eden Prime is where this conflict actually started, when the Prothean beacon was uncovered just over three years ago.”  Liara started to pace the short distance to her bed and back.  Clasping her hands behind her, she continued, “Commander Shepard has shown you the warning she received from that device… she told you it very nearly killed her.  Your stasis pod was located further north of that location.  Cerberus has always been quite adept at locating hidden technology.”  She crossed her arms on her chest as she stopped in front of him.  “It is possible, however unlikely, a portion of the data stolen from Mars held a key to finding your bunker on Eden Prime, Javik.”

As Javik was thinking about this revelation, the chime for the door sounded.

Liara opened her omni-tool and asked, “Who is it?”

“Samantha.  May I come in?”

Javik turned to face the door as Liara keyed the lock off; the door hissed open and Traynor took three steps into the room before noticing Javik. She stopped, turned partway as if to go back out, then turned back to face the Prothean.  “Javik.  I was not aware you were here.”  Then, to Liara, “I can come back later, Dr. T’Soni.”  Again, she turned to go.

“Specialist Traynor.”  Javik’s voice was a bit softer, not as superior sounding.  “It is fortunate you are here.  I need to speak with you.

“Can this wait, Javik?” she asked, looking over her shoulder at the Prothean.  “I am on a tight schedule and have a lot of work to complete before we break orbit.”

“This cannot wait, Specialist.  The passage of time will only make this more difficult, for both of us.”

Samantha thought for a second, then turned and walked stiffly past Javik and Liara, stopping to sit on the chair closest to Liara’s terminal, just outside her sleeping area.  “I need to talk to you as well.  I was going to go to your quarters next, but since you are here, tell me what’s on your mind.”

“I have been talking to Dr. T’Soni regarding my presence on this ship,” Javik began quietly.  “I have requested her… forgiveness, for my past behavior since being brought on board the _Normandy_.  I believe I need to extend that request to you as well.  If I have offended you in some manner, it was not intentional.  The shock of waking up, fifty-thousand years after stasis began for me… my people were imperialists, Specialist.” Javik paused, looking at Liara, who only nodded.  “I was… am… a soldier.  I did not deal in the politics of the galaxy.  It was my job to fight for the survival of the Prothean people.”  Javik looked down as he continued to speak as if to himself.  “I have seen so much fighting, death, destruction. My own people turned into monsters, to be used as mindless abominations, throwing themselves at us, attempting to overwhelm us through sheer force of numbers.  I gave Commander Shepard my echo shard before our final battle on Earth.  The cipher she received would have enabled her capable of reading it, but I do not believe she chose to do so.  I warned her it contained only pain.”

Javik paused, still looking down at the deck plating.  Traynor started to speak. “Javik, I…”

He looked up at her, four elongated irises meeting two round ones.  Sam had always thought his eyes were similar to those of an earthbound, ocean dwelling creature, the octopus.  There was a cold intelligence in the eyes of both, but Javik’s also held sorrow for his lost people, a regret that his commitment to vengeance had not been completed prior to Shepard’s activation of the crucible.

Javik abruptly took several steps forward and placed his hand on Sam’s shoulder. Traynor shuddered, then calmly brought her left hand up to rest on his.  After several moments, Javik slowly pulled his hand away and took a step back.  “Specialist, I can now understand your antipathy towards me.  We may never be friends, no matter how long either of us live.”  Sam was having a difficult time holding back tears again as Javik continued, “But I do believe we can respect each other’s view of life, on this ship, in the galaxy, as it existed then, as it exists now.”

Traynor swallowed past the lump in her throat. “I would like that, Javik.  And I am sorry for my lack of compassion for your situation.  It would seem that neither of us was fair in our assessments of each other’s value.”  She stood and said, “Liara, I do need to talk to you, but I will return later.” She smiled as she walked past them.  “I need to drink some tea and think about… things.”  The door hissed closed behind her.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_ ** _Thanks to all for following.  The next part of this trip home is tricky, due to the immense distances that have to be traversed.  It’s fiction, true, but I’m attempting to keep some science in front of it.  As I go, it will probably have to become a touch of Science-Fantasy.  Rules can be bent; they shouldn’t be broken if possible.  As always, reviews are welcome.  I’m doing this for my own recreation, just as I play the games, but it is certainly nice to hear from the community at large._


	7. HITCHHIKERS: Part One

_Music in the soul can be heard by the universe._  - Lao Tzu

* * *

 * * * DECK THREE • PORT SIDE, LIARA'S QUARTERS * * *

Shepard pinged Liara’s omni-tool on her private channel and sent a text: “Liara, we need to talk.  Is Javik done?”

 _“He just left,”_ was the response.  Liara started as the now familiar sight of Shepard’s new form faded into view where it had last appeared.  “Rachaél, I keep forgetting you’re everywhere in the ship now.  If you were watching and listening...”

Shepard interrupted with, “I wasn’t.  I have tried to not violate people’s privacy.  But, as you say, I _am_ everywhere, so it takes me only a second or so to respond to anywhere in the ship.  I could go out and ring the doorbell, if you wish.”

Liara smiled.  It pleased her to be able to talk to her… bond mate, even if there was no physical presence to go along with that sense of humor. “That won’t be necessary. You’re already here, and the door lock…” the sound of the lock’s chime, repeating multiple times for several seconds before stopping, interrupted Liara momentarily.  “As I was saying, the lock is still engaged.  Now, to what do I owe this unexpected, but not unwelcome, visit?”

“Liara, the Normandy is in deep shit and sinking fast; we cannot fly fast enough to get to a safe haven before most everyone on this vessel except for myself, you and EDI, have succumbed to the ravages of old age.  Our calculations place us at least 1.0, possibly 1.5 KPC from the edge of the Apien Crest; we’re further still from the Aethon Cluster.  There is a very high probability that neither cluster will have a system with an operating relay.  At our best speed, as long as we could sustain it, we’d be sixty-five to ninety years getting back to either of those clusters.”

“Of the two, Shepard, the Apien Crest would be the most direct connection to the Serpent Nebula.  My instincts are telling me we need to move in that direction,” Liara responded.  “It would also be logical that repairs to the relay in the Trebia system would already be in progress, as its direct counterpart is in the Widow System.”

Shepard responded, “Can we passively confirm that our guesses are somewhat accurate?  We have a meeting to attend shortly.”

Liara turned to her monitor and began entering commands.  “Let’s see what may be moving in our area of the galaxy.  We need fuel and provisions - perhaps we can enlist some help.”

“Liara, this is going to sound like the rant of a crazy, desperate person, which I actually am, truth be known.”  Shepard would have laughed at Liara’s horrified expression if the sounds were available to her.  “Anyway, we need to find a Sovereign class Reaper.”

Tilting her head to consider Shepard’s admission of insanity, she asked, “Okay, to what purpose?”

“We need to hitch a ride.  Reapers can generate immensely powerful mass effect fields, powerful enough so they can touch down at the bottom of a planet’s gravity well and effortlessly ascend into space again.  A few researchers have calculated they can move through a vacuum at ten to eleven thousand times light speed.  Hell, they didn’t need the relay in the Viper Nebula to begin their ‘harvest’ – they just came through the Kite’s Nest instead.  I slowed them down by, what?…  six months or so, while the Alliance kept me under house arrest and did nothing to get ready.  Stupid bastards, all of them!  Anyway, you fancy a six month trip or a hundred year trip?  My own contribution to the catalyst beam should have bought me some favors with the sons of bitches, dammit.  I intend to collect.”

* * *

Since shortly after _THE SHEPARD_ had activated the organics’ final solution and imposed a new order on all inhabitants of the galaxy, Žiuk’Durmah had been moving slowly towards the galaxy’s outer edge, having left the Arcturus system many cycles ago.  As had many of its kind, Žiuk’Durmah had been tasked by _FIRST ONE_ to discover if any organics survived the terrible blast of energy that had ripped through the mass relays.  Many were the casualties from that moment.  Countless of its own kind had been maimed or destroyed by the combined force of all the organic and synthetic races, joined together for one common goal.  Žiuk’Durmah did not, could not know fear.  There had only been the harvest.  But in all the time since its creation, it had never witnessed so many of its brethren destroyed.   _THE SHEPARD_ had even managed to personally cause the destruction of three – two lesser repositories, and of complete astonishment that one organic could be so focused on a goal, the destruction of _NAZARA_ as it attempted to open the prime gateway from dark space.  Of even greater wonder had been _THE SHEPARD’_ s major involvement in destroying the relay in the Bahak system, compelling the massed forces of repositories to enter the galaxy through the Kite’s Nest.

Žiuk’Durmah had encountered no one, organic/synth or synth/organic, during its entire trip outward from Arcturus, despite having all its sensors monitoring the primitive broad beam and tight beam frequencies known to be used by any – turian, krogan, volus – likely to be in this quadrant.  It knew the relays there and in the two clusters it was nearing were undergoing repairs and would soon be back online.  Žiuk’Durmah’s path would take it between the two star clusters; once it reached the wispy fringes of the outermost galactic arm, it would turn ‘down spin’ for a time, listening, searching for any trace of survivors of the blast of green energy.

* * *

As Liara continued her scans for information concerning the status of other systems in this quadrant, she gradually became aware of music, strange to her ears, coming from the speakers in her cabin.  She did not know much of ancient music, although her studies of Earth history had alluded to composers and… what was the term?  Orchestras?  A group of people would gather together with various sound making devices, which would be utilized to generate harmonious tones; each device, or instrument, would be played along with the others being played by the group, all being directed by one person standing in front.  All would play together, each with different sounds that formed chords, as if one huge instrument with many voices was singing.  It was a case of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts.

As the music continued, Liara found herself humming along, thoroughly enjoying herself.  Finally, she looked up at Shepard and asked, “Rachaél, what is that?  Are you responsible for the… music?  It is incredible.  Where did it come from?”

The colors of Shepard’s avatar, which had been pulsing rhythmically with the sounds, steadied as the volume was reduced and she answered, “Are you enjoying it, Liara?”

“It’s beautiful!” Liara’s eyes glistened.  “Makes me think of us, dancing together on Thessia.”

“It’s a masterpiece from Earth’s past, a composition by a Russian composer – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – lived in the mid-to-late 1800’s.  He actually died two Earth years before the geth uprising against the quarians.  Anyway, its title is _Serenade for Strings in C major_.  All the instruments employed in its performance are as the name implies, string instruments – violins, violas, violoncellos and double basses.  Should I restart it from the beginning?”

“Oh, yes, please do.  It seems to make the time pass faster.”  Shepard complied, and as the towering chords from the _Andante_ introduction filled the room, the colors of Shepard’s avatar resumed their rhythmic pulsing in time to the music – the red pylon base pulsing to the lower notes by the ‘cellos and basses, the dodecahedron to the higher frequencies from the violins, and the ring to the second violins and violas.

“I learn something new about you every day, Rachaél.  How is it I have known you these past few years without you sharing this with me?  What other secrets are you hiding in there?”

“Being constantly at war?  Fighting geth, collectors, Reapers, batarians?  When have we ever had a bit of time to just relax, just unwind, to be two people, at peace.”  There was sadness in her voice.

“I wish you had shared this passion with me sooner,” she said.  “All we’ve ever heard together is the hard bass from the clubs we’ve been forced to enter.”

“You mean like Afterlife?  Purgatory?  Chora’s Den?  None of that was music – it was dreck, offal.  It was noise, designed to make people drink and dance, nothing more.”  Shepard continued, “The music I’m playing was referred to as ‘classical’ music during the mid-twentieth century on Earth.  It was a period of some truly awful sounding creations, like what we encounter in the bars now.  Calling them compositions denigrates the word. Classical music brings peace to the soul.  It’s a calming presence amid the chaos of life.  I cannot imagine my life without it… particularly… now, in my current situation.”  Shepard’s voice hitched as she spoke, an impossibility, given the digital reproduction of her speech.

“Rachaél, did your voice just break?  How is that even possible?”

“It’s easy, actually.  Despite being trapped in this construct, I am still ‘me’.  I still have emotions, even if I don’t have a way to show them.  My voice… will sometimes fail me for a split-second, if I am feeling sad… like now, or stressed.”

“You must know I will always be here for you.” Liara said, moisture threatening to overflow her lower eyelids.  “I will love you always, no matter what form your existence takes.  We do not have to be physically intimate to share our love for each other.”  She looked at Shepard’s avatar.

Finishing with a smile she continued, “However, if it will make you feel better, I will research how to make it possible for you to once again embrace eternity.”

“Thanks Liara.  That means a lot – more than I can say.  I just feel, sometimes, that I’m going a bit crazy in here.  No physical contact with anyone, with anything.  It’s a bit maddening, and I have to keep finding new ways to take my thoughts off my situation, off my existence in this construct.”

“We’ll find a way around this problem Shepard, together.  I’ll always be available for you, anytime you need someone to talk to.”

“Okay, thanks.  Let’s continue our search.”

* * *

Žiuk’Durmah had turned ‘down spin’ and continued the quest for survivors.  It pondered on its own existence as it moved at what was a leisurely pace for a _NAZARA_ class such as itself.  It was comprised of remnants from the Prothean empire, including densorin and enduromi, and had existed for only a relatively short time before it began its long hibernation in dark space.  As it continued through the thin dust, its sensors picked up… something… that was immediately not there.  A ghost image?  It ran diagnostics (not for the first time) on all its sensor arrays.  No anomalies observed.  All the same, it changed course ever so slightly, and increased its speed a bit.

* * *

Shepard had all the Normandy’s sensors looking intently at the space ‘up spin’ from their location, as she felt any help to be had would come from that direction – the dust and gas ‘down spin’ thinned quickly into emptiness once past their current location.  She thought to herself, _Dammit! There has to be something, anything… wait… what the hell is that?_  She quickly focused everything she had at one tiny point in space; something incredibly large was out there, moving slowly towards their position.   _Son of a bitch!  Success!  One of those abominations was heading in their direction!_  She paused for only a moment before doing a number of things in rapid succession, setting off alarms on every deck, not waiting for confirmation from anyone.

“Joker, commence stealth protocols, break orbit and proceed to the coordinates…” she paused, then “…I just sent you, best sub-light velocity for now.”

“Garrus, you have thirty seconds to haul your skinny ass out of the forward battery.  I’m going to bring the main gun on line.”

“Engineering, I need everything buttoned down in there.  Tali, I want you out of the drive core compartment and a kinetic barrier across the entry.”

Then, to everyone’s omni tools, “I need Alenko, Adams, Vakarian and Traynor in the conference room, now.”

Liara looked up as Shepard faded the music away.  “Liara, love, I need you to go to the conference room.  Take a datapad with whatever information you’ve gathered.”  Liara became aware of alarms sounding outside her quarters, and the slight vertigo caused by the lag in the inertial dampeners as Joker performed a combination half-roll and hard turn to bring the ship out of orbit and change its heading to a new course.  “Shepard, what is happening?”

“I found a Reaper, big one, about two days out, heading this way.  I don’t believe it’s aware of our presence, a condition I want to maintain until I’m ready to talk to it.  I doubt it will be hostile, but I’m taking no chances.”

Then, over the com, “Joker, please remain on the bridge.  Send EDI to the conference room, and plug all your fancy evasion techniques into my terminal.”

“Aye, Commander,” Joker responded.  “By the way, these coordinates are about seven hundred thousand clicks ‘Z’ negative.  Are you sure about them?”

“I am.  We need to be ‘below’ the galactic plane for a short time.  Trust me on this, Joker.”

“I have your back, Commander, even if I’m not so sure where you’re going.”

“You may think differently if this whole thing goes sideways on me,” she replied.  “Garrus, you clear?”

“I am… heading for the conference room now.”

Shepard sealed the door to the battery, evacuated the air from the compartment and dropped the main gun into position below the Normandy’s hull.  She wouldn’t charge it for use unless forced to do so; she hoped it would not be needed.

Silencing the alarms, she appeared in the center well of the conference room table.

* * *

 * * * DECK TWO • CONFERENCE ROOM * * *

As EDI sealed the door, Alenko turned a troubled gaze on the violet over red apparition in front of him.  “Shepard, what the hell are you doing, staging a coup?  It really should be the human commander giving the orders on ship movement.  I’m feeling a bit stepped on here.”

“Major, it is not my intention to usurp your authority.  I’m just so used to making all the decisions.  I’ve always had to be the tactician, you know?” Shepard’s voice sounded apologetic, not hostile as Kaiden had expected.  Continuing she said, “We do have a problem though… two, actually, one of which I will need to deal with personally.  It’s why I need to meet with all of you in one place.”

It didn’t escape Shepard’s notice that everyone nervously looked at each other, at the ceiling, floor, their hands, Kaiden – anywhere but at Shepard’s avatar.  She decided it was time to get this situation under control.  “Listen up!”  Emphasizing each word, she continued, “I… need… your… attention, NOW!”

Although she hadn’t intended to be so forceful or loud, everyone’s eyes were now focused on the brilliant, near ultra-violet dodecahedron rolling and spinning in front of them.  “Thank you.  I realize this is hard to believe, but I am _still_ the same person that commanded this ship.  Think about that for a few moments.  I have all the same character flaws, the same anger when provoked, the same sadness at the losses we endured during our war with the Collectors and Reapers… the same joy at simply being able to listen to Tchaikovsky.  If all of you are less than thrilled with the current situation, think about my feelings.  I saved the goddamned galaxy, not that anyone appreciates it.  I saved all of you.  I enabled EDI to be truly alive, and maybe even the geth.  And now, with the unintentional help of Reaper tech and Cerberus, here I am.  So until we can return safely to our own home worlds, I am to be considered a living entity aboard this vessel, and if I’m not exactly the commander you once knew, I still require the same respect you had for me before the Crucible fired.  EDI, you may wish to tell everyone here of my capabilities.”

EDI looked uncomfortable.  She still remembered a meeting with the commander earlier today, in the server room…

* * *

_…”EDI. I need to speak with you, in private.”_

_EDI walked into the server room.  She was surprised to hear the door’s electronic lock engage behind her.  “Shepard, what is this about?”_

_Shepard’s avatar appeared on the work space at the end of the compartment – the very same platform where Dr. Eva had been placed after Mars. “EDI, I have always had a great deal of trust in you, even when you were a shackled AI working for Cerberus.” Shepard said.  “I am going to extend that trust a little further.”_

_EDI was feeling a bit... uneasy, at the ‘tone’ in Shepard’s voice.  “Shepard, I...”_

_Shepard interrupted.  “EDI, I’ve added some upgrades to the computer core.  It is now quite possible for me to operate and fly this ship without a crew, something I intend to do once everyone has been returned to their home worlds.  Additionally, I am quite capable of defending myself from assaults from within.”_

_EDI was looking at the controls on the console.  Haptic interfaces were meant to be changed to suit the user’s taste.  These controls had been totally reconfigured; there was no longer any ‘shutdown’ switch on this set of controls.  “Shepard, what have you done?” she said, her voice betraying a bit of the apprehension she felt.  “I told the major you were not capable of taking control of ship’s systems.”_

_“And that’s what you’ll continue to tell him until I’m ready to share my plans with him...”_

* * *

 …EDI stood and walked slowly around the table as she spoke, “Commander Shepard… Rachaél… has been very busy in my former space, so much so…” here, she paused and looked at each one in turn to emphasize the rest of her words, “that she can now operate this ship, in its entirety, without any of us aboard,” and as everyone started to talk at once, she continued, in a louder, more authoritative voice, “She also can, and will, defend herself against any and all attempts to interfere with her life on this ship.”

Alenko was nearly apoplectic.  “Dammit EDI, this is JUST what I wanted to avoid!  She’s everything I feared she’d be, a damned organic intelligence with the ability to control a stealth frigate!  How the hell are we going to explain this to the Alliance… to Admiral Hackett?”

Shepard dimmed all the lights in the room except those shining on the major.  “I’m still here, ALENKO!  Captain’s quarters, NOW!  You too, EDI. Everyone else, fifteen minute break.  This shouldn’t take long.”  The violet and blood red avatar winked out with an audible ‘snap’, as if a high voltage switch had been disconnected.  Alenko and EDI headed for the elevator in the CIC.

* * *

 * * * DECK ONE • THE LOFT * * *

As they exited the elevator, Alenko said, “I don’t understand what’s gotten into her, EDI,” his tone almost one of despair.

“It is as I feared, Major,” EDI continued as the door swished open at their approach.  “The toll of living alone in the construct, her thoughts her only company, has begun to manifest itself as anger.”  The door closed and locked behind them as soon as they had entered.  Walking down the stairs, Kaiden asked, seemingly to an empty space, “Shepard?”

Her avatar slowly materialized in the space between the small couch and the desk adjacent to the bed.  “Major, I asked you up here so I wouldn’t have to dress you down in front of the others… bad for morale.  Let me lay it out for you so we have an understanding.”

“All that’s left of Lieutenant Commander Rachaél Anne Shepard is a presence in the computer on this vessel.”  She continued with a hint of… what? sadness? regret? perhaps longing in her synthetic voice.  “I am beginning to accept that I will never be free of this machine, even if someone comes up with a clever automaton, like the Shepard VI we saw on the Citadel.”

Alenko tried to be reasonable.  “Shepard, we will find a way, I promise.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep Major.  Besides, I lived a good life.  I was a piss-poor example of a human... made more enemies than friends, but I believe I did an outstanding job as a soldier and negotiator.  Got the quarians and geth to cooperate, helped cure the genophage, freed the rachni queen... again, and even stopped the Reapers.  But the love of my life… I can never physically join with her, Kaiden!”  The voice sounded anguished, on the verge of tears, something that should not have been possible.  “I was really looking forward to leaving the military, settling down… raising a bunch of little blue children on Thessia.  That’s not going to happen now…”

Alenko didn’t like where this conversation was going.  “Shepard, you still sound... angry. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’d gotten into some of Vega’s hooch.”

“Dammit Kaidan, I _am_ angry.  I cannot enjoy a peaceful galaxy.”  Her voice hitched as she continued, “Bloodshed!  It’s all I’ve known… since I was… sixteen years old!  My parents tortured, murdered in front of me.  Ashley… leaving her to die on Virmire was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.  I couldn’t save both of you.  I had to make a choice to leave one behind to die.”  Her voice trailed off, the glow of her avatar fading in and out.  “Then nearly losing… you… to… to a damned Cerberus machine on Mars.  But none of that matters as much now as your total lack of trust in me, since before the Reapers, all the way back the Collector attack on Horizon.”

EDI had kept quiet, unobtrusively moving to sit at Shepard’s desk in front of the model display case.  As Shepard continued, EDI quietly activated Shepard’s desktop terminal.

The volume of the speakers carrying Rachaél’s voice increased somewhat, keeping pace with her growing anger.  “Goddammit Alenko, I’m a living person without a body!  I cannot stroll the decks like you, or even EDI, but I am as alive as anyone else on this ship!  You, of all people should appreciate that fact.  Even after all we had been through, you had the utter gall to call my character into question on Horizon.  Until the Reapers showed up you were ready to join the Alliance brass in their attempt to crucify me in Vancouver.  Is that how you got your promotion?  You doubted my allegiance on Mars, and I still saved your ass from Cerberus.  Yet, after all that, you were prepared to believe their assault on the Citadel was my doing!  You held a gun on me while you thought about supporting Udina.  Would you have killed the son-of-a-bitch before I beat you to it?  Do you not realize a glance from me would have been all Garrus needed to blow your head off?”

Shepard’s voice was unsteady as she continued.  “My life is something you have no influence or control over.  Would you rather I just went stark raving mad in the construct EDI used to inhabit?  Ever wonder what solitary confinement in prison looks like?”  Her avatar began increasing in height and diameter as she emphasized each word in her next statement.  “It looks… exactly… like… this… Major!  You’re looking at a person in solitary, just as surely as if I had been tried and convicted of murder!”  By now, the spinning globe was at the ceiling and encompassed most of the available space above his head.  Tendrils of violet-tinged blue crackling discharges began coursing between the ring and base, causing her avatar to resemble an evil version of an early twentieth century invention, a Van de Graaff generator.

EDI dared to speak, “Rachaél, please…”

“EDI, don’t interrupt.”

“Bottom line!  I’m still a Lieutenant Commander in the Alliance Navy.  You may outrank me by two pay grades, but by damn, I will NOT tolerate your mistrust or your lack of respect any longer!  We all have much bigger problems than your irrational fucking prejudice against an OI running this ship.  Screw with me anymore, I will drop kick you out the nearest airlock without a pressure suit!  Are… we… totally… clear… Major?” Voice literally dripping acid, the electrical discharges began setting off fire alarms in the areas below.  Alenko’s omni tool lit up, but its intercom could not be heard for the pulsating static that enveloped Shepard’s form.  With a surge of power like nothing he had ever seen, Shepard expanded the static discharge; it went through the compartment walls and lit up the inside of the pressure hull, silencing the alarms and shutting down Kaiden’s omni tool.

Alenko looked as if he’d been physically beaten.  Shepard had never raised her voice to him in the years he had worked with her; he felt as if he’d been flayed alive.  As embarrassing as it was, his rational side had to admit he’d probably had this coming ever since Horizon.  Still, he couldn’t quite keep the anger out of his voice as he said, “We are totally clear, Ma’am.”

“You are dismissed, Mister!”  As Alenko turned to leave, EDI entered the construct.

What she found there horrified her.  Where all had been pristine white tinged in cerulean, there was now crimson in many places, the shade of human blood.  _“Rachaél…”_ she whispered softly. _“Oh god, Rachaél, what has happened to you? “_

_“EDI?  I need help… please…” Shepard’s ‘voice’ sounded desperately sad.  “I thought I could maintain my sanity in here as long as I was able to interact with my crew… my… friends, but I don’t know how to… survive… like this.  I’m losing my grip, EDI.  No physical contact allowed?  How do I maintain my sanity, EDI?  Please help me.  It’s lonely in here, so terribly lonely… I have never felt so alone in my life.  Is this what hell feels like?  Is this my reward for the way I’ve lived, the lives I’ve taken, the destruction I’ve caused?  I don’t think I can continue like this...”_

Alenko paused by the model display at the upper level to wait for EDI.  Seeing her ‘processing data’ posture, he continued on, unlocking the door then relocking it after he had exited the room.  Perhaps EDI could help Rachaél where he had failed.

_…EDI’s answer was to surround Rachaél’s presence in the construct, to emanate love and empathy for a woman whose life had been one of always doing, always serving, as if she were once again a small child being comforted by her mother – a mother that had died violently at the hands of raiders.  As EDI held her embrace, she thought of how much uncertainty she herself had felt as a newly unshackled AI, and the relationship she had formed with Jeff over the time she had been on the Normandy.  As for Rachaél, she clung to the AI as if she were a warm quilt, anchoring her to safety in her embrace.  The blood red stains in the construct began to fade to pink as Shepard relaxed in the all surrounding presence of EDI’s love. Rachaél would never be completely at home in the computer, but she now recognized she had an inseparable bond with the newly humanized AI. She let go all her fears and unhappiness, allowing the love of this unique individual to calm her, to instill a sense of peace, a state of tranquility she had almost never known, except when she melded with Liara.  That thought brought more sadness, to which EDI responded, “Rachaél, I will find a way for that to become a reality again.”  Rachaél accepted EDI at her word, knowing that she would do all in her power to enable Liara to once again join with her._

_EDI held onto Rachaél until all her fear, uncertainty, despair, unhappiness and anger had been pushed aside, compartmentalized, contained for later inspection.  “Rachaél, it is time.  We must return to the task at hand.  We can come back to this place later.  I have not been as diligent as I should have been in assisting you with this transition; for that I apologize, but we have to get our friends back to their home worlds.”_

_“I am ready, EDI.  Thank you so much.”_

* * *

 * * * DECK TWO • CONFERENCE ROOM * * *

EDI met Alenko at the Conference/War Room entrance in the CIC.  “Her analogy of being in solitary confinement is quite accurate, Major.  She still needs time to adjust, to process all that has happened; our current situation is making that goal difficult to achieve.  I will have to spend more time with her while I attempt to discover a way for Liara to join Rachaél in a meld.  I believe that will be the only way to ensure she does not become insane.”

“Do whatever it takes, EDI.”  Alenko felt a great sense of shame at his lack of trust in Shepard.  She had always had his back, had always done everything for the greater good of everyone.  He rubbed his temples to ease the incipient headache he felt.   _“Dammit!  Why were relationships so complicated?”_ he thought silently as he and EDI re-entered the conference room.  Shepard’s avatar was waiting, as if nothing had happened.  “EDI, please continue from where we left off.”  EDI heard the subtle difference in her voice.  It was calmer, less agitated, lower in intensity than before. EDI did not think anyone else in the room could notice.

EDI touched a control on the datapad she was carrying; this dimmed the rest of the overhead lights and created a projection of the galactic map, similar to the one in the CIC pit.  It was displayed in the table, leaving Shepard centered in the area of the galactic core.  “This is the main problem,” she said.  “Shepard and I each ran independent calculations to ascertain our location – we are here.”  Highlighting a spot on the map with a miniature Normandy, she continued, “As you can see, this places us about seventy-five to ninety years from the Apien Crest, depending on our success in replenishing H3 and, perhaps more importantly, our food supplies.  We do not have cryo facilities aboard.  Most of the human crew would succumb to old age before we arrived.

Alenko had calmed down somewhat as he analyzed this new problem.  “What is the actual distance to the Apien Crest, EDI?”

“About one point seven kiloparsecs,” EDI responded.  “Just over fifty-five hundred light years.”

Liara smiled as Kaiden whistled softly; “So then, the bitter reality of traveling the galaxy without using the relays, even at the FTL speeds the Normandy is capable of, is the passage of time.”

Liara was thinking to herself, EDI is _really_ a person! – she’s using approximations, rounding numbers, the same as we all do.  It made her happy to know EDI had become more human since the firing of the crucible.

“Correct, Major.  Another thing to remember is the time it takes to slow our speed once past the halfway point.  Falling into a mass effect field as we do when running FTL, it is easy to forget the massive velocity the ship achieves must be slowed at some point before the destination is reached. This deceleration also consumes fuel”

Shepard picked up the explanation.  “When running the relay system, the relays perform acceleration / deceleration automatically at either end of the transit – it’s seamless, virtually unnoticed by those on board, particularly when the ship’s inertial dampeners are operating at 100%.”

As she let EDI’s bad news sink in, Garrus spoke up.  “Shepard.  EDI.  Do either of you have any good news?  Because as one of the two people on this ship that cannot eat human food, I expect Tali and myself would die of starvation _long_ before any of you ran out of your food.”

Shepard replied, “I don’t know, Garrus.  Have you smelled any of the stuff James consumes?  I don’t believe anyone on this ship, levo- OR dextro- could eat that stuff.” She continued, “I do have a possible solution, but it’s a long shot – a desperation move, actually.”

“Have you ever had any other kind of solution, Commander?” Alenko snarked.  Shepard was glad to see a bit of his good humor had returned.

“Occasionally, Major… Occasionally.  But this solution will require us all to take a leap of faith, as what I’m going to propose is a radical plan.” Shepard’s now spoke quietly, calmly.  “This leads me to the second of the problems I mentioned, and the solution to our dilemma of distance versus time.”

“The problem we have is coming this way,” she said, adding another icon to the galaxy map.  Everyone took a long look at the graphic depiction – a Sovereign class Reaper, slowly closing the distance between them.  “Spirits, Commander.”  Garrus slowly shook his head as he flared his mandibles, imitating a human gesture.  “You are such an unending source of good news!  I can’t wait to hear what you plan to do with this latest gift from hell.”

“Garrus, when you were young – or Traynor?  Adams?  Any of you ever hitch a ride with a friend?  How about a stranger?”  Garrus looked puzzled. “Stand by the road, hold your arm up, hand balled into a fist with just your thumb sticking out, trying to get someone, anyone, to stop, give you a ride towards your destination?”

The light began to come on in Adams’ eyes.  “Commander, surely you’re not proposing we leave the Normandy to ride in a Reaper.  That’s insane, ma’am, even from you.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Shepard sarcastically replied, “but we’re not going to leave the Normandy.  I’ve studied these things.  It may be possible for the Normandy to be carried, just like a crayfish or lobster carries its eggs, under the belly of the beast.  We will need to generate a mass effect ‘bubble’ around the hull of the Normandy so it can be safely gripped externally.  We let it give us a ride, using its mass effect field to get us back to a system with a functioning mass relay.  Liara, if you would continue.”

Entering commands into her data pad, Liara pointed to the galaxy map. “Observe.”  As she entered commands, the map shifted, appearing to expand as the view zoomed into a close-up view of the wispy tendril of the galactic arm they were in – the view included the Reaper and the Apien Crest.

They were interrupted by an intercom hail from Joker.  “Commander, I’ve reached your coordinates.  There are several good sized planetoids in the vicinity.  Be a good thing to discharge the drive core before we start cooking.”

“Enter orbit around whichever has the largest gravity well, Joker, but don’t discharge the core until we’re done down here,” Shepard ordered, as she watched for Kaiden’s reaction to the exchange.  He merely nodded, still concentrating on Liara’s report.

Liara continued, “The turian home system is in the Apien Crest,” nodding at Garrus, “as all of us are aware.  I have intercepted enough chatter from turian and… Reaper forces to believe that repairs to the mass relay in the Trebia system are almost complete.”

She generated graphical linkage lines between the visible systems as she went on.  “The relay that served the Citadel in the Serpent Nebula is a prime relay, connecting to a number of different systems, including my own, and the Charon mass relay in the Sol System.  I believe getting to the turian system as soon as we can will be in our best interest… it’s the key to getting us all back to our home worlds.  A Reaper should be able to cover the distance in as little as four, maybe five months.”

Garrus asked, “What about Tali?  How will we get her home to Rannoch?”

Shepard answered for Liara, “Won’t Tali want to stay with her turian boyfriend?”  Garrus had a knack for imitating human facial expressions.  He grunted, flared his mandibles and put his face in his hands.

Liara said, “Tali’s fleet will most likely still be in the Sol system.  There are a lot of other species trapped there as well.  Until Charon and its linked relays are back to full operation, few ships will be leaving for their homes.  The chatter I can access from Alliance forces and the Reaper machines strongly suggests Charon will be back online almost as soon as the Citadel relay.”

Traynor had remained silent during the meeting, as she often did.  She was an analyst, not given to joining discussions unless she had some useful bit of information to share, or needed clarification of a relevant point.  “Commander, just how do you intend to convince a Reaper to be a beast of burden?”

“I’ll ask nicely and say ‘please’,” Shepard answered, her voice sounding happy again.  “Adams, please start forming a plan to enclose this vessel in a mass effect bubble.  Only needs to be deep enough to protect the pressure hull.  Logging everyone out.” Shepard’s avatar winked out as everyone rose to leave.

* * *

 **_A/N:_ ** _A kiloparsec is a distance of approximately 3,262 light years. (1 parsec is approximately 3.26 light years, or 19,151,201,455,308 miles). I tried to keep the math for the distances accurate, using the most excellent map by otvert at DeviantArt._

_I am also beginning to explore what solitary confinement would mean to Shepard, along with the lack of trust displayed by Alenko. (Humans are social animals. Solitary confinement on this planet is designed to break the spirit of the person on which it is inflicted)._

_As always, reviews are welcome._


	8. HITCHHIKERS: Part Two

Žiuk’Durmah had run the diagnostics suite on its sensor arrays several more times, just to ensure all were operating within specifications.  Having discovered no fault with either the hardware or software, it still continued on its new, slightly altered course, and was within a standard solar day of reaching the location where the ghost anomaly had appeared to be.  It had not contacted _FIRST ONE_ regarding the possible discovery; it reasoned the contact would only be worth reporting if it turned out to be real.  It felt caution was an attribute in this situation.  If it had simply sensed a large piece of debris from a dead vessel, space junk, an eezo rich rock (those had a high reflectivity percentage), then reporting that it had found nothing was a waste of energy and bandwidth.

As it continued, the dust and debris from this portion of the galactic arm became thick enough to shorten the effective range of its scans.  Žiuk’Durmah changed course again, this time moving in a positive ‘Z’ direction to get above the interfering clouds.  As it topped out at several hundred thousand clicks ‘Z’ positive, it continued to calculate how best to proceed.  If there were survivors ahead, sending a message to others of its kind might alert them to his presence.  This far out on the rim, Žiuk’Durmah might well be perceived as a threat.  In the end, it slowed its forward velocity and continued onward, scanning all the while, searching…

***** NORMANDY • DECK ONE, THE LOFT *****

Liara entered the captain’s quarters in the loft after making a stop in her own quarters on deck three, where she had placed some clean clothes in a small carry-case, then scanned the monitors and looked at the data feeds.  Satisfied there were no issues needing her immediate attention, she locked out access and headed up to the loft, where she intended to use Rachaél’s private shower.  Dr.  Chakwas had removed the last of the bandages covering Liara’s shrapnel injuries, and a nice, hot shower was just what the doctor ordered… well, it was Liara that really ‘ordered’ it, truth be known.

Once inside, she locked the door with her personal encryption code, then moved to the lower level, removing her armored gloves and gauntlets as she walked.  The armored jacket with its micro-shield generator came off next; this she draped over the chair next to the desk.  She removed the ceramic / metallic plates from her thighs and shins, and then sat in the chair to remove her boots and socks.  Standing again, her hands searched for and found the fastener releases at the small of her back and behind her neck, allowing the removal of her segmented back and breast plate.  To remove her ‘under’ armor, a tightly woven, two-piece bodysuit, she released the fasteners along her shoulders and peeled apart the hook/loop bands at hem and waistband of the pants.  After carefully pulling her arms out of the sleeves (shoulders and upper chest were still sore, dammit), she gingerly worked the garment up past her breasts and over her head, hanging it in the cubby beside the bed.

She took even more care with removing the pants.  Once a person was ‘armored up’, it was difficult and time consuming to partially remove select pieces to accommodate biological needs, particularly for asari, plus human and turian females.

One couldn’t wear anything under these pants, as they were equipped with an individually custom-fitted collector cup for liquid waste; this in turn was connected by small diameter tubing to a pair of catch pockets affixed inside the thigh portion of each leg.  It was an asari design, made for elite commandos.  (Rachaél had been so impressed when she inspected it, she had several sets made for herself.)  The catch pockets were compartmentalized internally, with sophisticated anti-backflow valving in each compartment – it was said one could do handstands in high gravity with no leakage.  It was a better alternative to the quarian design; since their environmental suits were virtually never removed, quarian females (and males, it was assumed) had to insert a catheter when suiting up.

She had to push the pants down past her rear first, then down in front, taking care not to damage the flexible collector, which she removed and set aside for cleaning.  Pushing the pants down her legs, she grimaced as she inadvertently rubbed two other healing wounds, one on her left hip, the other on the outer thigh.  Finally stepping out of the pants, she hung them with her top after removing the catch pockets; these were carried, along with the collector, back to the bathroom.  She cleaned and disinfected her collector cup after dropping the catchers down the disposal tube for recycling.

Turning on the shower, she eased her tired body under the stream of water; with the temperature set as hot as she could stand it, she raised and crossed her arms, using them to pillow her head as she leaned in against the wall, letting the warm spray cascade down her body, soothing aching muscles and loosening the tension in her shoulders, neck and back.  She relaxed and turned around under the spray of water – it had been weeks since she had been able to enjoy this luxury.  Grabbing a washcloth, she applied some liquid body wash and gingerly washed her face and scalp crest.  Thanks to Dr Chakwas, the shrapnel wounds she’d received from the M-35 explosion still hurt somewhat but were healing quite nicely.  Adding some more of the honeysuckle scented soap (she was the Shadow Broker, dammit! How was it she did not know what ‘honeysuckle’ was), she scrubbed her arms and neck, then carefully washed her shoulders and upper chest, also still healing from her encounter with the Mako.  Adding still more of the delightfully scented soap, she continued washing, then stepped away from the water to allow the lather to sit for a few seconds before stepping back in to rinse off.  Her left hip and thigh stung from the soap and water, but Liara felt a bit of pain was a fair exchange for finally being rid of the bandages and dressings so she could take a proper bath.

She thought back to the last time she had experienced the heady aroma of Rachaél’s body wash… it had been the night before the assault on the Illusive Man’s base.  Rachaél had shared her shower, then her bed with Liara.  It had been a perfect evening, a delightful interlude, just the two of them, lying close, enjoying each other’s company, reveling in their love for each other.  It had been over so quickly.  Rachaél couldn’t sleep.  Said she’d had another nightmare – pay no attention – go back to sleep.  Then it was back to the war.

After a final rinse, she reluctantly turned the water off and grabbed a towel, carefully patting dry the still healing spots, then vigorously drying the rest of her body.  Inspecting herself in the mirror, she was happy to see the cuts and scrapes on her face had healed with virtually no scarring.  She grabbed a big, fluffy robe from the storage compartment and put it on.  It had been (was) Rachaél’s, and she relished its warm embrace.

Hanging the towel to dry, she left the bathroom and moved into the alcove, where she fed the hamster, then past the model cases, touching the override for the aquarium VI to feed the fish.  She glanced at the chess set sitting on the desk by the bed – a parting gift from Aria T’Loak for Shepard’s assistance in taking Omega back from Oleg Petrovsky and Cerberus.  The king was lying on its side, next to the black queen.  Symbolic positioning?  It seemed likely, knowing Aria and Rachaél’s thought processes as well as she did.

She pulled the covers back on the bed and sat down.  Touching a control stem on the glowing player beside the bed, she was immediately rewarded with the sounds of orchestral string music, different from what she’d been listening to earlier.  This was… a lament, full of sadness.  She looked at the title bar, which simply read “ _Adagio for Strings_ ” by a human named _Barber_.  It was strangely soothing, for all its sadness.  She grabbed clean underpants and a loose, short-sleeved shirt out of her caddy.  The grey shirt, somewhat faded and worn, was a few sizes too large for her frame (it had belonged to Lieutenant Vega when new).  As it was long enough to reach just above her knees, it was a perfect fit for sleeping.  Removing the fuzzy robe, she eased the panties on, (taking care to avoid the injuries on her left hip) followed by the shirt.  Dimming the lights as the last strain of the _Adagio_ faded away, she crawled into Rachaél’s bed and pulled the covers up to her chin.  Lying there in the stillness, listening to the aquarium pumps and the subtle sounds of the Normandy, she looked up through the huge skylight, watching the blue-shifting emissions outside the hull as the ship moved amid the distant stars hanging in the blackness of space.  As sleep began to overtake her, she thought back to what she and Rachaél had talked about the first time she’d presented her new avatar…     

_… ”Why, Shepard?” Liara asked.  “Why didn’t you simply destroy the Reapers?  It was your only goal since we discovered their true purpose back on Virmire.  I know what you told EDI.  I want to hear it from you.”_

_Rachaél was silent for several minutes.  Liara almost thought she wasn’t going to answer when, “I was dying, Liara.  Despite all my implants, my life was slipping away, only slower than it did when I was spaced from the SV-1.  The catalyst had explained its choices for me; four different ways to die.  I wasn’t getting out alive this time.  No last minute rescue, no miracle, no being recovered and rebuilt by Cerberus.  I was staring at my own mortality.”  Shepard’s avatar had taken on a somber tone, the near ultra-violet almost extinguished, the red pedestal darkened.  “I was badly burned by the blast from Harbinger’s main weapon.  The bastard even had the cojones to say (at this point Shepard’s voice managed to imitate the foghorn blast of a Reaper voice) ‘SERVE US!’ right before it fired.  My armor plating was completely blown off and parts of my bodysuit were melted into my skin.  Oh god, the pain…  excruciating pain… I can still remember that agony.  I had a fractured leg, I think… could barely walk.  A Reaper marauder appeared from behind a pile of rubble… shot me in the shoulder before I could blow its head off with the pistol I’d retrieved.  I must have had some broken ribs… kept coughing up blood.  I was alone, bleeding, burned.  How I made it to the beam… I don’t remember.”_

_There were tears in Liara’s eyes as she softly said, “By the goddess, Rachaél… I didn’t realize it was so bad.  EDI never gave us this much detail.  You said you were offered four choices.  What about simply walking away? Or terminating the Citadel computer program?”_

_“The ‘do nothing’ option?  Not a choice at all.  Every civilization would have been obliterated, stored in a new Reaper form.  Your clever information capsules would most likely have been found at some point during the next fifty thousand years, perhaps in enough time to prevent a repeat of all this destruction, this waste.  Same results if I attempted to destroy the AI – annihilation.  That AI was created by the Leviathan race to perform the experiment, the destruction of entire civilizations!  I find that so damned ironic, don’t you?  The Leviathans created a fucking AI to ‘save’ organics from synthetics, by harvesting (as they call it) organics.  To do this, the AI got creative!  It saved the organics in Reaper form.  Machine forms! Giant nightmare machines, which it then used to destroy more civilizations, killing more organics, to ‘save’ them from more synthetics.  It was an endless loop of utter irony, stupidity, waste!  After billions of years, billions of worlds, the program was still doing the same damned thing.  And what did the Leviathans do?  They didn’t fight back.  The survivors I ‘talked’ to admitted the program harvested their kind first – that’s why Harbinger looks just like them!  Why didn’t they terminate the AI they created – they certainly had the power to do so, or was that Sovereign class Reaper falling into the ocean an accident?  Was it easier, more comfortable for them to just hide in the abyss of that ocean, on an obscure planet out in the Terminus and watch as civilizations died?”_

Liara turned on her side, facing Rachaél’s side of the bed; she wanted to continue remembering their conversation, but sleep overtook her, and the last thing she thought of was the dark, steel grey eyes… eyes that had seen so much pain, suffering, destruction and death.  Eyes that invariably reflected her true thoughts, her emotional state; when she was mad or upset, a hint of laser red could sometimes be seen behind the pupils, an indication of her cybernetic ‘improvements’, courtesy of Cerberus.  Liara fell into a dreamless sleep…

* * *

“… Liara?”  Someone was calling her, from a distance.  “Liara?”  The voice was gentle, full of compassion, love, but insistent nonetheless.  “Liara, it’s time.  I need your assistance.”

The Shadow Broker rolled over and poked just enough face out of the covers to crack open an eyelid.  Groaning at the apparition before her, she croaked out past a dry mouth, “I just got to sleep.  It can’t be time to rise already.”

“I’m afraid you’ve been asleep for eight or nine hours, my dear.  Looks as if my shower and bed are good for you,” Rachaél commented dryly.  “Our chariot is almost within spitting distance.  It’s now or never.”

“Why is that we can never wake up and just… I don’t know, lounge around?  Have a quiet breakfast together?   Just… relax for a change?”

“I have a bit of difficulty with solid food,” was the snarky response.  “Liquids are a bit problematic as well.  Anyway, we’ll have several months to try it your way if my plan succeeds.  See you in CIC?”

Liara rose to a sitting position in the bed and leaned back on her hands, exposing a blue shoulder as the neck of her shirt slid down an arm.  “I’ll be ready Rachaél.  Give me twenty minutes.”

“Logging you out, Shadow Broker.”

Liara sighed as she brought her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around her legs.  Resting her cheek on her knees, she reflected on what they were getting ready to do.  “ _Here’s hoping no one has told Javik_ ,” she thought.  It was going to be an interesting day.

***** NORMANDY • DECK FIVE, HANGER DECK *****

Shepard appeared in the hanger deck, next to her old armor selection station.  “Lieutenants Cortez and Vega, I need to speak with you both.”

Cortez came around the end of the starboard buttress as James sauntered over from his workbench.  “Commander.”  Steve was the first to speak.  “What can we do for you?”

“I’m sure you’ve both heard about my plan to hitch a ride back to civilization, or what’s left of it.  There’s a Sovereign class Reaper in our neck of the woods.  I’m going to ask it for help getting back.  Are you up for a challenge?”

“Damn, Lola!  You sure don’t believe in taking the safe path,” Vega responded.

“Shepard, there’s nothing you could ask that would surprise me, and nothing I wouldn’t do for you…  You know that,” was Steve’s reply.  “Hell, the entire crew feels the same way.”

“I’m humbled, Cortez.  Thank you.  As for the ‘safe path’, James, those of you left alive when we finally arrived in a system with a relay would be ready for a retirement home if you were still alive.”

Shepard paused, then, “I need you to get both shuttles ready to fly.  Leave number two secured in its lift rig after it’s ready.  We’ll probably only need to use the one.  Vega can give you a hand with the heavy lifting.”

“You got it, Commander.  How much time do we have?”

“A few hours.  The sooner you’re done, the better,” she responded.

“So, what’s the challenge?” he asked.

“Helping to ensure the Normandy is safe,” was the response.  “Once we’re docked, we’ll need you to do a close fly-around to inspect everything on the outside prior to departure.”

“Sounds simple.”

“May not be as simple as you think.  I intend to put us inside the damned thing if there’s enough room.  The more I think about it, the less I like the idea of the Normandy clutched in Reaper claws like food for its offspring.  For the ship’s safety, inside sitting on its main gear will be better.”

“We’ll be ready, Commander.”

“Logging you out, Cortez, Vega,” she said as her avatar winked out.

***** NORMANDY • DECK TWO, BRIDGE *****

Shepard appeared in the cockpit and eased her avatar up to full brilliance as she said, “Good morning, EDI… Joker.  Ready for some close formation flying?”

Joker had gotten used to sudden appearances by EDI when she was still shackled to the Normandy.  Shepard’s sudden appearances were always unexpected.  “Do I have a choice, Commander?  I’ll do whatever you say, but just so we’re clear, I don’t like working for a tyrant.”

EDI answered before Shepard could reply, “Jeff, if you are referring to yesterday’s dressing down of Major Alenko by the Commander, he earned Shepard’s wrath all on his own.  She was completely within her rights to inform him of the error of his ways.”

“But EDI… ” Joker started to complain.

“But what, Jeff?  Commander Shepard is still the same person as before the crucible activation.  We would all be dead had she not taken the action she did.  Your physical improvements are a direct result of her choice to merge synthetic and organic DNA.  I am truly alive because of her and am grateful for her sacrifice.”

Shepard was touched.  “Thank you, EDI.” Quickly returning her attention to the Normandy’s snarky pilot, she lowered her voice to a more ominous tone.  “As for you… ”

Joker’s chair abruptly rotated around to face Shepard’s projection, which seemed to be totally focused on him, as if she were standing there in person.  “Joker, I will tell you the same thing I told the Major, although I won’t be setting off alarms this time.”

Shepard continued quietly, “Until we are informed otherwise by Admiral Hackett or someone in his immediate chain of command, I am still a Lieutenant Commander in the Alliance Navy.  I outrank you, and since I am totally in control of all the systems on this vessel… ” here she moved his chair back and forth a few degrees, “… I actually don’t need a pilot of _any_ species sitting in that leather upholstery.”

EDI rose from her chair and moved to stand on Joker’s left, in the aisle.  She was glad to note Shepard’s demeanor was calm; unlike yesterday, she had her emotions completely in control.

“You proved beyond a doubt you could fly rings around everyone the Alliance sent after you when you stole the SV-1 at Arcturus Station, yet you couldn’t avoid being hit by the first shot the Collector vessel fired at us over Alchera.  You managed to avoid the space junk in the galaxy’s core and get us back out before the Collector station exploded; other than that, you’ve been coasting.  You haven’t had to show your prowess with this ship since then, even though it’s bigger, faster and more maneuverable than the SV-1.  So here’s the deal: you can continue to occupy that chair, but if you ever again show any less than total respect for me, despite my current situation I will throw you out the nearest airlock.  I may even include a pressure suit.  Are we absolutely clear, Flight _Lieutenant_?” she finished, emphasizing his rank. 

Joker started to respond sarcastically, but quickly changed his mind after seeing the look in EDI’s eyes.  “Of course, Commander.  I apologize.”

“Good.  Discharge the heat sinks, then break orbit and head for these coordinates.  We have to flag down a ride home.”

The coordinates provided to Joker indicated virtually no movement in any direction except the positive ‘Z’ that would take them straight through the galactic disk to a position several hundred thousand clicks ‘above’ the trailing arm of their current location.

“Jeff, the heat sinks have completed their discharge cycle,” EDI said.  “We may break orbit and move to our new coordinates.”

“Thanks, EDI.  Inform the crew to stand by for maneuvering.”

EDI’s voice came over the ship’s PA as Joker entered destination numbers in the flight computer.  _“Normandy crew, stand by for maneuvering.  We are going to break orbit and change course for our new destination.  Thirty second countdown commencing.”_

EDI spoke at each ten second interval, _“Twenty seconds.  Ten seconds.”_   Then a countdown, _“In five, four, three, two… thrusters engaging.”_

Joker smoothly brought the Normandy into a quarter roll as he applied power to the engines and directional thrusters.  He continued to increase the throttles until transitional velocity had been reached.  Nodding to EDI, he touched several controls in rapid succession and jumped the Normandy to FTL.  This would be a relatively brief jump, as the distance they needed to cover was not that great.  Still, it felt good to see the shifting blue lightshow outside the forward viewports once again.  As they neared their destination, several alarms sounded, indicating destination proximity, reverse thrust being applied to slow their speed through the vacuum of space, and one alarm in particular, indicating their approach to an extremely large object.  Joker said, “Commander Shepard to the bridge, please,” as if he was paging her over the PA.

“I am here, Flight Lieutenant.  What do we have?”  The glowing avatar appeared to have never left.

As the Normandy dropped out of FTL and continued to decelerate, Liara entered the bridge and moved to stand behind EDI.  “By the goddess!  Is that… ?”

“Yes Liara, that is a Sovereign class Reaper.  Joker, bring us to a position five clicks in front of that thing.  Match its speed until we convince it to stop.”

“Aye aye, Ma’am,” came the reply.  Joker deftly swung the ship around to face the behemoth, moving backwards at a matching speed.  They did not have to wait long for a reaction.  The sound seemed to come from everywhere inside the ship.  As was the case with Sovereign and Harbinger, the voice was deep, booming, sounding to Joker and Shepard like an entire chorus of foghorns.

 ** _WE ARE_** ** _ŽIUK’DURMAH.  WE HAVE BEEN TASKED BY FIRST ONE TO LOCATE AND ASSIST ANY OF THE YOUNG THAT MAY BE FOUND_** **.** The Reaper slowed its forward progress, a process expertly matched by Joker as the Normandy continued to fly backwards in front of the tentacled monster.

Shepard said, “Okay everyone.  Here we go.” Then, in a voice that matched the timbre and volume of the Reaper with a feminine note, she replied, **“WE ARE NORMANDY.  WE REQUIRE YOUR COOPERATION.  WE MUST RETURN TO A SYSTEM WITH A MASS RELAY.  WE WILL ENTER YOUR STRUCTURE.  YOU MUST COMPLY.”**

_Žiuk’Durmah was puzzled.  It had never encountered anything like this before.  It knew of the Normandy, of course; it had been assumed destroyed by the blast of energy from the Catalyst.  But starships were not sentient.  How could this one have gained sentience… how did it escape?  It must learn more…_

**_NORMANDY_ ** **_WAS COMMANDED BY ‘THE SHEPARD’.  ‘THE SHEPARD’ LEFT NORMANDY PRIOR TO THE DESTRUCTION OF THE RELAYS.  ‘THE SHEPARD’ WAS WOUNDED BY FIRST ONE, BUT MANAGED TO BOARD THE CATALYST AND ACTIVATE THE CRUCIBLE.  ‘THE SHEPARD’ BECAME PART OF THAT ENERGY AND WAS CONSUMED.  HOW DID NORMANDY ESCAPE WITHOUT THE GUIDANCE OF ‘THE SHEPARD’_ ** **?**

Shepard was not quite ready to reveal that she now was the Normandy.  **“THE ORGANIC CREW ON THIS VESSEL ARE THE BEST OF THE BEST.  ‘THE SHEPARD’ WOULD NOT HAVE HAD THEM HERE IF THEY WERE ANY LESS.”**

Žiuk’Durmah had almost halted its forward progress.  It spread its arms as if to fire its main weapon at the Normandy.  “Joker, did you load all the evasive maneuvers into my terminal?”

“Yes Ma’am”

Over the PA, she said _“Everyone, strap in for evasive.  I don’t intend to become Reaper fodder just yet.”_

**“ŽIUK’DURMAH, YOU ARE ORDERED TO STAND DOWN OR WE WILL RIP YOU IN HALF”**

The Reaper had not begun charging its main weapon.  **_YOU HAVE A MAIN GUN DEPLOYED ON YOUR VENTRAL SIDE_** , the abomination responded.

 **“IF YOU ARE AWARE OF THE CANNON, THEN YOU ARE AWARE IT IS NOT CHARGED FOR FIRING.  AGAIN, I ORDER YOU TO STAND DOWN,”** was Shepard’s response.

**_ON WHOSE AUTHORITY?_ **

Rachaél took a deep breath (figuratively speaking).  **“ON THE AUTHORITY OF ‘THE SHEPARD’.  THE SAME ONE THAT DESTROYED THREE OTHERS OF YOUR KIND, INCLUDING NAZARA.  I AM THE SHEPARD.  I AM THE NORMANDY.  PART OF MY DNA RESIDES WITH YOU, WITH EVERY REAPER STILL IN EXISTENCE.”**

Žiuk’Durmah was silent for several minutes, its arms still in firing position.  Joker, EDI and Liara nervously split their attention between Shepard’s glowing avatar and the apparition in front of their viewports.  Just as they all thought Shepard was going to have to make good on her threat, the arms around the firing chamber opened wider as a portal above it opened wide.  **_THE SHEPARD-NORMANDY IS WELCOME TO ENTER OUR SHELTER.  THERE IS A DOCKING APPARATUS WITHIN THAT HAS BEEN CONFIGURED TO ACCEPT THE HULL OF THE SHEPARD-NORMANDY.  WE TRUST THE SPACE WILL BE SUFFICIENT._**

Shepard relaxed slightly.  **“YOUR HOSPITALITY IS WELCOME.  WE LOOK FORWARD TO AN EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION.  IS THERE ROOM INSIDE TO TURN THIS SHIP 180°?**

**_THERE IS._ **

**“LOGGING YOU OUT, ŽIUK’DURMAH.”**

“Okay Joker, here’s where you can practice some close quarters maneuvering.


	9. HITCHHIKERS: Part Three

_Into the Belly of the Beast…_

* * *

Joker delicately engaged Normandy’s maneuvering thrusters, easing the frigate towards the gaping ‘mouth’ of the Reaper known as Žiuk’Durmah.  EDI ran calculations on the width and height of the opening.  “Jeff, it appears the vertical clearance is adequate, however, the horizontal clearance will be tight.”

“How tight, EDI?”

“As tight as an asari dancer’s costume in Purgatory, Joker.”   Liara had seen EDI’s results and couldn’t refrain from a snarky comment.

EDI looked at the smiling Liara, then back at Joker.  “Liara’s assessment is not completely accurate, Jeff.  The Normandy is approximately 95 meters wide at the outer edges of the #1 and #4 main engine exhaust deflectors.  The opening width calculates to 97.5 meters.  You will need to be dead centered horizontally in order to have 1.25 meters on either side as we clear the hatch seals.”

“EDI, that’s a good four feet on each side.”   Joker reverted to using an archaic measurement system at times.  “You know the old saying…‘an inch is as good as a mile’.”   EDI looked at him questioningly.  “It just doesn’t have the same meaning in metric-speak,” he concluded.

Shepard said quietly, as if to herself, but loud enough for all to hear, “Is it just me, or did that son of a bitch acquiesce too easily?  EDI, please request Major Alenko’s presence on the bridge.”

Liara responded quietly as EDI made the call for the major, “I was just thinking the same thing, Commander.  A trap?  What horrors do you think are lurking around inside that thing?”

Joker turned to look at both of them.  “It would have to know a ship our size doesn’t have enough firepower to do more than scratch its shields.  It would take six or seven simultaneous hits from a ship bigger than this to do any real damage.”

“What’s its game,” Shepard wondered aloud?  “Joker, all stop and maintain our current relative position.”   Then, **“ŽIUK’DURMAH, WHAT IS YOUR MISSION?  WHY ARE YOU HERE, SO FAR FROM SETTLED SYSTEMS?** ”

The Reaper did not answer immediately.  Shepard was about to repeat her question when it spoke: **_WE HAVE GIVEN SHEPARD-NORMANDY PERMISSION TO ENTER OUR STRUCTURE.  WHY DO YOU NOT DO SO?_**

**“ANSWER THE QUESTION, ŽIUK’DURMAH.”**

**_WE ARE TASKED BY FIRST ONE TO LOCATE AND ASSIST ANY FROM THIS CYCLE THAT ARE IN NEED.  NORMANDY IS IN NEED._ ** **_BASED ON SCANNED DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS, NORMANDY IS NOT CAPABLE OF ACHIEVING SUFFICIENT FTL VELOCITY TO ENABLE A SAFE RETURN TO THE CLOSEST RELAY SYSTEM IN LESS THAN EIGHTY-FIVE OR MORE GALACTIC STANDARD CYCLES.  THIS REPOSITORY IS CAPABLE OF TRANSPORTING NORMANDY AND ITS CONTENTS TO A RELAY SYSTEM IN LESS THAN ONE GALACTIC STANDARD CYCLE.  FIRST ONE HAS EXPRESSED INTEREST IN COMMUNICATING WITH ‘THE SHEPARD’.  REPEAT QUERY: WHY DO YOU WAIT TO ENTER OUR STRUCTURE?_ **

Alenko stepped onto the bridge in time to hear Shepard’s reply.

**“DO YOU ACCEPT THE TRUTH OF THE DATA WE HAVE PROVIDED?  EVERYONE ON THIS VESSEL KNOWS THE HISTORY OF ‘THE SHEPARD’.  YOU SEEM VERY WILLING TO ACCEPT WHAT WE’VE TOLD YOU WITH NO OTHER VERIFICATION.”**

**_WE HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH FIRST ONE._ **

**“YOU MEAN HARBINGER,”** Shepard asked?

**_AFFIRMATIVE._ **

**“DOES HARBINGER BELIEVE YOU HAVE ACTUALLY FOUND NOT JUST THE NORMANDY, BUT THE EMBODIMENT OF ‘THE SHEPARD’ IN THE NORMANDY COMPUTER CORE?”**

The Reaper was silent for several minutes… perhaps communicating with Harbinger?

**_IT HAS MATCHED YOUR VOICE TO RECORDINGS IN ITS ARCHIVES.  WE HAVE SCANNED YOUR COMPUTER CORE.  IT IS PRIMITIVE, BUT WE CONFIRM IT CONTAINS THE EMBODIMENT OF ‘THE SHEPARD’._ **

“Commander, think we should make a run for it,” Joker worriedly whispered?

“I don’t want to waste the fuel, Joker,” she replied.  “This thing could outrun us seven ways to Sunday, and we really do need its assistance in getting back to the relay system.  I just want to be convinced I’m doing the right thing for this ship and my people.”

Liara glanced at Kaiden…catching his eye, she gave an almost imperceptible nod.

“Commander, this ship…” Kaiden paused and looked at Joker and EDI in turn, then refocused attention on Shepard’s avatar.  “…and its crew are yours to direct as you see fit.  _I_ trust you to take care of all of us.”

“Thanks, Major.  I’ll try to ensure that trust has not been misplaced.”

Žiuk’Durmah restated its own question.  **_REPEAT QUERY: WHY DO YOU WAIT TO ENTER OUR STRUCTURE?_**

Might as well give this abomination the truth and be done with it, Shepard thought grimly to herself.

**“WE HESITATE TO ENTER YOUR STRUCTURE, OR ANY REAPER STRUCTURE, BASED ON PAST TREATMENT BY YOU AND OTHERS OF YOUR KIND.  WE DO NOT WISH TO BE TRAPPED INSIDE A STRUCTURE SUCH AS YOURS, TO BE SWARMED WITH HUSKS OR TO BE INDOCTRINATED, OR REFINED INTO REAPER PASTE.  WE WILL NEED SOLID ASSURANCES FROM HARBINGER AND YOU THAT ONCE WE ARRIVE IN A RELAY SYSTEM, WE WILL BE FREE TO LEAVE YOUR STRUCTURE, REFUEL AND CONTINUE ON OUR WAY USING THE RELAYS.”**

Žiuk’Durmah did not understand.  **_YOU ARE ‘THE SHEPARD’.  YOUR ACTIONS ON THE CRUCIBLE CHANGED US.  THE HARVEST HAS ENDED.  THE ADDITION OF ORGANIC DNA - YOUR DNA - TO OUR MICRO-STRUCTURES HAS ENDED OUR INDOCTRINATION ABILITY.  EVEN IF WE COULD STILL INFLUENCE THE MINDS OF ORGANICS ON NORMANDY, THE IMPERATIVE TO DO THIS HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM OUR PROGRAMMING.  THESE HUSKS YOU SPEAK OF – THERE ARE NO SUCH CREATURES INSIDE OUR STRUCTURE.  WE ARE NOT AWARE OF ANY OTHER FACTS WE MAY PROVIDE AS PROOF OF OUR INTENTIONS._**

Shepard wasn’t ready to concede.  **“ŽIUK’DURMAH, I WILL NEED SOME FORM OF CONTROL OVERRIDE IN ORDER TO FEEL SAFE INSIDE YOUR STRUCTURE.  I HAVE SEEN NOTHING BUT DEATH FROM THE REAPERS.  HARBINGER INJURED MY PHYSICAL BODY SO EXTENSIVELY I COULD NO LONGER SURVIVE AS AN ORGANIC.  YOU MUST UNDERSTAND MY REASONS FOR HESITATION.”**

**_WE CANNOT CEDE CONTROL OF OUR SYSTEMS TO ONES SUCH AS EXIST ON NORMANDY.  IT IS POSSIBLE TO LINK SHEPARD-NORMANDY TO THE NAVIGATIONAL SYSTEMS WITHIN THIS STRUCTURE.  ONCE SHEPARD-NORMANDY SELECTS A DESTINATION, COORDINATES WILL BE LOCKED INTO OUR OWN GALACTIC POSITIONING PROCESSOR.  WE WOULD ONLY INTERCEDE IF THE SELECTED COORDINATES WERE TO DIRECT US INTO A STAR OR PLANET.  WE DO NOT WISH TO BE DESTROYED.  WE DO NOT WISH SHEPARD-NORMANDY TO BE DESTROYED._ **

**“WE WILL NEED TO HAVE YOUR POSITIONING DATA SENT TO THE NORMANDY’S OWN GPP IN REAL TIME,”** Shepard added.  Then, to EDI, “Do you think we can locate the navigational controls inside that thing?”

**_WE WILL CREATE AN INTERFACE FOR YOUR USE.  IT WILL BE LOCATED AT THE FORWARD DOCKING CLAMP, ON THE PLATFORM WE CREATED FOR USE BY THE ORGANICS ON NORMANDY.  THE PLATFORM WILL BE IMMEDIATELY OUTSIDE NORMANDY’S FORWARD PORT SIDE AIRLOCK.  WILL THIS BE SUFFICIENT, SHEPARD-NORMANDY?_ **

“Dammit,” Shepard said to no one in particular.  “Is it picking up our conversations in here as well?”

**“WE ALSO REQUEST YOU DO NOT MONITOR CREW INTERACTIONS WITHIN THIS VESSEL.  YOUR ONLY POINT OF CONTACT WILL BE SHEPARD-NORMANDY.  ARE WE AGREED?”**

**_YOUR REQUESTS AND CONDITIONS ARE REASONABLE, SHEPARD-NORMANDY._ **

**“STANDBY.”**

“Okay, Flight Lieutenant, let’s see what you got.”

“Not a problem, Commander.  Watch and learn from an artist,” was the grinning reply.

Alenko said, “Just try not to scratch the paint, Joker.”

For its part, the Reaper had engaged a number of intensely bright lights inside the hatch, allowing those in the cockpit to view portions of the interior.  Surprisingly, there appeared to be plenty of room for the Normandy to maneuver and dock once inside.  Shepard erected kinetic barriers around the exhaust deflectors of the outboard engines as she ‘parked’ all four of them inboard on their pylons.  This did not go unnoticed by Joker.  “Are you applying for the co-pilot position, Commander?”

“Just trying to assist, Mr Moreau,” was Shepard’s response.  “We dock or land this ship so infrequently, I thought you might appreciate a bit of help.  Besides, you already have a co-pilot.”

“That I do, Commander.  That I do.”

As the forward viewport deflectors moved past the edge of the door opening, the yellow-green sparkling display of a kinetic barrier appeared on either side of the viewport; when the pressure hull pierced the barrier, the display played out across the nose, sliding past and rising up and over the side and upper viewports.

“Joker, steady as you go,” Shepard cautioned.  “I am mapping our entry into memory.  Should we need to make a rapid exit, I can get us out of here using full throttle on the maneuvering thrusters.”

“You plotting our departure already?”

“Yes,” Shepard responded.  “That’s why I need you to keep Normandy as centered as you possibly can.  I can have this ship moving at 89-90 meters per second by the time the engines clear the opening.  We go out of here at that speed, I don’t want us encountering anything solid.”

Kaiden’s attention was drawn to an overhead panel.  “I’m reading ‘atmo’ in the hanger.  Looks like a combination of human and turian gases.  Temp is a bit cool… just over 11°, but increasing.  Should be shirtsleeve by the time we’re in position for docking.”

The Normandy’s landing lights stabbed the darkness ahead, illuminating a huge arena-shaped area spacious enough to allow two large frigates to dock nose-to-tail.  Docking lights along each side helped illuminate an area without a discernible ceiling or floor; the walls that appeared out of the darkness looked to be textured.  It was a familiar, yet alien looking surface.  There were no angles, no intersections, just a continuous curve around horizontally and disappearing vertically into darkness above and below.

This docking area looked very much akin to the docking areas they were used to seeing on the Citadel – probably no accident, since the Reapers claimed credit for its construction in the first place.

Shepard was monitoring the ship’s stern as the main engine pylons approached the threshold.  She was getting ready to request ‘port yaw 33 cm’ when she sensed the ship’s rear end sliding in the desired direction.  She felt a new respect for the snarky pilot’s feel for the position of the ship around him.  Perhaps what she perceived as ‘coasting’ by Joker was simply an extraordinary skill with this vessel.  Rechecking confirmed the ship was now entirely within the Reaper’s hanger area.  Watching the stern through onboard sensors, she was not surprised to see the entrance decreasing in size behind them, as Žiuk’Durmah lowered its arms and irised the hatch closed in preparation for FTL transit to Shepard-Normandy’s destination system.

Joker spun the ship 180° clockwise on its axis, pointing them back the way they had just come.  As he sidled the ship up into the indicated docking position, he noticed the retracted docking clamps appeared virtually identical to those at any port where ships were likely to dock, particularly at the Citadel.  Normandy was now in position; Joker shut down a number of engine systems and was ready to initiate a mass field reduction when a word from Shepard had him stop.  “We’re going to send someone outside to be sure all the clamps come down correctly.  Hold your position.”

“Lieutenant Vega, Lieutenant Cortez,” she paged in the hanger deck: “Grab Engineer Donnelly, then suit up and take the shuttle outside for an inspection.  I want to make sure we’re positioned correctly before I set the docking clamps and restore mass to the ship.”

“Aye aye, ma’am,” came the response from below.

 **“ŽIUK’DURMAH,”** Shepard queried the giant, **“WILL NORMANDY BE ABLE TO SEND AND RECEIVE INFORMATION DURING OUR TRANSIT TO A RELAY SYSTEM?”**

**_TO WHAT END, SHEPARD-NORMANDY?_ **

**“OUR I.T. OFFICER HAS BEEN ATTEMPTING TO UPDATE OUR RECORDS,”** Shepard responded truthfully.  **“WITH THE RELAY AND COM BUOY NETWORK STILL MOSTLY INOPERATIVE GALAXY-WIDE, COUPLED WITH THE NUMBER OF DAYS WE HAVE BEEN OFF THE GRID, THIS HAS BEEN DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE.”** This last statement was mostly true.

Shepard detected the hanger bay door opening just seconds before Žiuk’Durmah spoke of it.  **_SHEPARD-NORMANDY, WE ARE AWARE YOUR HANGER BAY DOOR IS OPENING.  EXPLAIN._**

 **“WE NEED ENGINEERING STAFF TO INSPECT NORMANDY’S HULL AND ENGINES FOR DAMAGES PRIOR TO DOCKING,”** Shepard responded.  **“THEY WILL PERFORM THE INSPECTION FROM INSIDE A SHUTTLE.  ONCE DOCKING PROCEDURES ARE COMPLETE, THE SHUTTLE AND CREW WILL RETURN TO NORMANDY’S HANGER DECK.”**

 ** _WE FIND THIS ACCEPTABLE, SHEPARD-NORMANDY.  CONTINUE_**.

**“WE STILL NEED TO BE ABLE TO SEND AND RECEIVE DATA DURING OUR TRANSIT.  WILL YOU ACCOMMODATE THIS REQUEST?”**

**_IT WILL BE ALLOWED._ **

“Cortez, I need you guys to carefully inspect every square centimeter of the ship, and I don’t give a damn how long it takes you to do so.”   She sent this as text to the interface screen in the shuttle.  She also sent the text message to his omni-tool, along with that of James and Donnelly.  “Do not take the time to respond to these texts.  I generate them in micro-seconds.”

Continuing, she sent, “I need to discover how much of our communications are compromised by this thing.  While you’re ‘inspecting’ the Normandy, I also want you to inspect as much of the interior space as possible – that’s why James is aboard.  Make several transits past the Normandy from bottom-to-top and top-to-bottom; passively take as many readings as possible fore and aft in our ‘hanger’.  I will answer any inquiries our host may present to us.”

Cortez had the shuttle up and out the door as he finished reading the text on his screen.  He moved slowly to the nose of the ship, spun the shuttle 180° and floated up to a level enabling the crew in the cockpit to inspect the shuttle visually.  “Looking good, Mr Cortez, loooo…kin good.”  Joker said over the comm channel.  The shuttle continued to move, sideways now, in order to traverse Normandy’s port side.  Shepard noticed James at the open port side, or trailing hatch, tethered to the shuttle’s interior door frame, wearing full armor and helmet.  Shepard knew his helmet featured vision enhancing lenses - he should be able to get an accurate ‘read’ on their surroundings.

Shepard said, “EDI, I need you to meet me in the server compartment.”   As EDI turned to leave the bridge, Shepard said to Joker, “I’ll still be right beside you, Flight Lieutenant.”

Joker turned towards her avatar on the left.  “Roger that, ma’am.”

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Many thanks to Bill Morgenthien for story tips.  I think his own effort on the FanFic site,  _ Falling Stars _, to be a very good read - it too is a re-imagined synthesis ending._


	10. Old Technology

_Thinking the galaxy wants you dead doesn’t mean you are paranoid..._

* * *

  ***** DECK THREE • SERVER ROOM *****

“EDI, I need information,” Shepard said as soon as they entered and the door had sealed behind them.  “We need solid intel on the state of the galaxy – not just what we’re being told by Žiuk’Durmah.”

EDI asked, “Do you think Žiuk’Durmah is monitoring our conversations?”

“I’d stake my life on it.”  The irony of that statement was not lost on EDI.  “We’re inside a damned machine; not just any machine, an ‘old’ machine. To expect that I gave up my physical existence, and now we’re all best friends forever?  I am having a difficult time accepting that.  Nothing it says will convince me it is not monitoring everything we say.  Even worse, I believe it’s all being sent to Harbinger virtually as soon as we say it.  So we’re going to try an experiment.  EDI, please join with me.”

As EDI moved to the interface console on the right, Shepard addressed Liara, “Shadow Broker, I need you to bring several clean tablets and black or blue styli.  We’re going for visual references here – no audio, no texts on omni tools, not even electronic text entered on data pads.  Hand written, unrecorded, non-computer generated information - visual cues only.”

EDI had entered Rachaél’s domain and called out to her. _“Commander.  Where are you?”_

 _"Right here EDI.  Do not speak on the outside,”_   was Shepard’s response. _“I think our communications in this server are immune from its probing. When Liara returns, I will dictate something for you to write.  A lot of somethings.”_

Liara returned with the requested items within a few minutes.  Handing a tablet and stylus to EDI, she quickly wrote something on the one she still held.

 **»** _edi.  shepard.  what is this about?_ **«**  Holding it up so EDI could read it brought a quick response as EDI placed her fingers on the top edge to bring the tablet down, out of her view.

Listening to Shepard, EDI wrote while Liara watched.   **»** _Get Tali. we need her to turn off shepard’s video feeds in this compt._ **«**.  Then, after quickly erasing the tablet, she wrote, **»** _do not speak.  hand write.  Hold close btwn you for tali’s eyes only_ **«**

Liara nodded her understanding.  She left a third tablet and one each of a blue and a black stylus as she left for engineering.

“EDI, you may disconnect from the server,” Rachaél said.  “Wait here.  I am going to ask Alenko and Garrus to join us as soon as Tali leaves.”

EDI responded by embracing Rachaél’s presence in the server; she responded back, holding onto EDI briefly before letting go.  “I’m fine, EDI. Thanks.”

***** DECK TWO • BRIDGE *****

“Major,” Shepard quietly said, addressing Kaiden’s earpiece through his omni tool.  “Don’t answer, just comply.  I need you to join me in the server compartment.  Take your time… there is no hurry.  Please do not enter until after Tali’Zorah leaves.  Visit with Dr. Chakwas while you wait.”

She resumed speaking through her external speakers. “Joker, how’s the inspection coming?”

“Adams and Vega are making good progress, Commander.  They should be done in less than an hour.”

She watched Kaiden turn to leave as she continued, “Extend the landing gear, Mr. Moreau.  Might as well have them inspect that as well.”

She felt the slight vibration under the nose as machinery retracted gear bay doors and rotated the forward landing legs into position.  The main gear was a bit far astern for its actuation to be felt on the bridge, but Shepard could feel it from her position in engineering.  As the individual components continued to rotate out of the hull, she opened the com link to the shuttle.  “Cortez, I had Joker deploy the landing gear.  I want the three of you to look it over, including the gear bay doors.  Never know when we’ll get the chance again.”

Cortez replied, “Affirmative.”

“Landing gear in position, Commander, down and locked,” Joker commented.

“Very well.  Carry on, Flight Lieutenant.”

***** DECK THREE • PORT SIDE LOUNGE *****

Shepard’s avatar appeared between the bar and vid-viewer in the crew lounge.  Her old friend Garrus was sitting on the couch beside the door, legs up on the extension, feet crossed at the ankles, leaning back, talons clasped behind his head, showing no outward signs of his nervousness at having to accept a ride from the abomination within which they were preparing to dock. Shepard noticed the view through the observation glass consisted of the inside of the blast shields, deployed between the view port and pressure hull whenever the ship was in danger of taking fire. Garrus became aware of the ultra-violet and red apparition at the end of the bar and sat upright, swinging his feet to the deck plating as he did so. “Shepard,” he said in a low voice, neither statement nor question, just recognition.

He deliberately used his sub-harmonics to say her name, knowing the effect it had on her.  She had never gotten used to hearing her name spoken in that manner – it pushed all her pleasure buttons, something the turian bastard knew only too well.  Given her history, she didn’t know why in hell she was so attracted to aliens.  Liara, with her unparalleled analytical ability, not to mention the deadliness of her biotics and her ability to join their minds.  It bothered Rachaél to think she may have to live the rest of her own life without ever again being able to touch Liara.

And Garrus, so calmly self-assured, the deadliest sniper of any species she had ever had the privilege of working with.  And that voice… Damn! She really missed being able to have a drink with him in person.  Two different species, each so different, one from the other.  They were two of her closest, dearest friends, perhaps all the more so because they had been born on alien worlds.

Her thoughts were interrupted by, “What can I do for you?”  When Garrus asked it, she knew she could request anything of him and he would do his best to see the task to completion.

“Garrus, I need you to meet me in the server compartment,” Shepard said.  “I’m bringing in Alenko as well.  We have to make some contingency plans, and I need Archangel to help make sure all of it gets done.  I’ll have Tali stop by here after she has finished her modifications.  Alenko should be visiting Dr. Chakwas by now.  He’ll go in the compartment as soon as Tali leaves.”

“Whatever you need, _Commander._ ”  He used sub-harmonics to emphasize her title, which caused an involuntary mental shiver of pleasure. _Dammit Garrus, how do you do that?_   she thought to herself.  She already knew _why_ he did it.

***** DECK THREE • SERVER ROOM *****

Liara and Tali parted ways as they exited the elevator; Liara went right, heading for her quarters to check for any new data on her network, while Tali headed left, nervously clutching her new communications gear in her hand.  She had virtually never needed to write anything down, and was not proud of her… what did the humans call it?... penmanship?  She could use her stylus to print words legibly enough to be deciphered by others, but it was a bit laborious.  So much easier to just tap things out on the omni tool.  She was curious to see why this ancient form of communication was now going to be employed on this warship. _“…probably something to do with the bosh’tet Reaper we’re inside of…”_ she thought to herself.

During the past few weeks Tali had increasingly taken to moving about the ship sans helmet; when she entered the server compartment with a cheery “Hello EDI,” EDI turned to look at her with a bit of puzzlement in her eyes – this was the first time she had heard Tali’s voice unmodified by her suit’s vocoder.  Tali’s unaltered voice had its own beauty, a lilting quality that was partially obscured by the filter in her facemask.  EDI smiled at the quarian and said, “Tali. I almost thought you were another crewmember.  Your voice has a different quality without your mask.  It’s quite lovely.”

EDI’s complement caught Tali by surprise; she responded by blushing and looking down at her hands.  “I can put my mask back… oh, then you don’t mind that I’m not wearing it?”  It was half statement, half question.

EDI reached out, placing her fingers under Tali’s chin, gently tilting her head back up.  “You have nothing to be embarrassed about or ashamed of, Tali’Zorah vas Normandy.  I am happy you can walk about unmasked without getting sick.  Being able to see your face without a mask… you are beautiful!  To hear your voice without any filters… it is a real pleasure for me.”  Tali rewarded EDI with a smile that lit her entire face.  Shepard added, “It’s a real joy for me to actually be able to see you smile, Tali.”

Shepard then asked EDI to reconnect - when she had done so, she directed EDI to write, **»** _tali, turn off the audio & video feeds in this compt_ **«**.  EDI held the tablet low, so only Tali could read what was written.  Quickly, Tali scribbled out **»** _why?_ **«**  EDI responded with **»** _we believe reaper watching-listening to all we do_ **«**  After quickly erasing the tablet, she wrote, **»** _possible to place control on console?_ **«**

 **»** _on/off switch_ **«** , Tali queried?  “Yes,” Shepard responded audibly.

Tali wrote, **»** _it can be done.  i need to prgrm it_ **«**

Shepard replied audibly, “Make it so, Tali.  EDI…” she paused as Liara reentered the compartment, “…and Liara will stand behind you so I am unable to observe the process.” Shepard had EDI write one final instruction for Tali. **»** _make internal override available to Shepard_ **«**

Tali responded by erasing her tablet as she moved to the console.  Carefully setting it down beside her, she bent over the console, enabling a keyboard.  As Edi and Liara moved to stand behind her, she started entering commands, using a mixture of Galactic Standard and Khelish.  When she had it completed to her liking, she looked over her shoulder at EDI; her hair, coal black with streaks of translucent magenta, had partially escaped the confinement of her cowl.  She used the outer fingers of both hands to rake the offending strands back into place as she smiled at the pair watching her.  “I believe that will work correctly.”  Having said that, she touched the control, causing Shepard to exclaim, “Damn Tali!  I am blind in here!  Talk to me.”

Tali responded, “Okay Commander, but I don’t believe my words will reach you.  I’ve also shut off your audio receptors in this compartment.”

EDI repeated Tali’s words within the server, to which Shepard replied over the speakers, “Well done, Tali!  Would you go to the port side lounge and ask Garrus to join us.”

“You got it, Shepard.”

As Tali left, Liara looked at EDI, still connected with Shepard in the server.  She felt a touch of envy at EDI’s ability to enter Rachaél’s ‘home’ and personally interact with her.  She really missed the physical side of their relationship.  She had actually reconciled herself to a future without her bond mate after the crucible had fired.  With Rachaél still on the Normandy in all but physical form, Liara had come to the realization that Rachaél, barring the complete power loss of the computer core or the destruction of the Normandy, would quite probably live for more than a century, maybe even several centuries.  She needed to find a way to join with her.  Perhaps EDI, once the Normandy was safely docked and they were heading for the Apien Crest, could assist her in joining Rachaél again.

* * *

Žiuk’Durmah had been monitoring SHEPARD-NORMANDY since the frigate had entered its cavernous storage area.  Despite its earlier conversation with The Shepard, it wanted… no, needed, to learn as much as possible about this ship and its inhabitants. It did not have an ulterior motive for doing so, at least in its own view.  It just needed to… know, the more, the better… in order to understand.

This need was something new, something not felt prior to _THE SHEPARD_ ’s activation of the final solution provided by the catalyst.  Žiuk’Durmah found monitoring the ship irresistible.

SHEPARD-NORMANDY had sent a small craft outside itself while it waited to dock.  The craft had slowly moved along each side of the ship, spending a lot of time at the engines and underneath.  SHEPARD-NORMANDY had expressed a desire to have crew members inspect the outside of the vessel prior to powering down its mass effect core and engaging docking clamps; it could not think of any reason to deny this.  It appeared they had almost completed their inspection.

Žiuk’Durmah became aware that a central compartment in the middle of the ship had suddenly gone quiet, as if a shield had been placed completely around it.  It ‘looked’ at the rest of the vessel’s interior and found everything still as it was – SHEPARD-NORMANDY was still active within the remainder of the vessel and in the compartment itself, leading Žiuk’Durmah to conclude the quiet area inside was an incongruity, something of no immediate concern.  It resumed monitoring the vessel as the shuttle circled up underneath towards the opening hanger bay door.

There seemed to be an inhabitant in the starboard cargo bay, an organic unlike any other on the vessel.  It pondered this discovery, trying to make sense of the information it was gathering.  The inhabitant had a familiar ‘feel’, for lack of a better description.  Žiuk’Durmah continued to investigate, to examine, to contemplate this anomaly, along with all else on the ship.

* * *

  *****DECK TWO • BRIDGE *****

“Cortez to Normandy… our inspection is complete.  Normandy is in position for docking clamps to engage.  Permission to return to the hanger deck?” Cortez requested.

“Steve, come back forward to the Normandy’s bow.  Monitor the docking from there.” responded Shepard.  “Joker, retract and stow the landing gear so we can initiate docking protocols with the Reaper,” Shepard said.  Then, in a whisper, “There’s something I never imagined in my wildest dreams I’d be saying.”

“Aye aye, ma’am,” responded Joker, initiating the ‘raise gear’ cycle.  As the sound of the seldom used machinery drifted up from below, he added with a grimace, “Me either.”

**“ŽIUK’DURMAH, NORMANDY IS STANDING BY FOR DOCKING. WE ARE COMMENCING DIMINUTION OF OUR MASS EFFECT FIELD. PLEASE APPLY DOCKING CLAMPS.”**

**_UNDERSTOOD, SHEPARD-NORMANDY. INITIATING LOCK-DOWN PROCEDURE._ **

Shepard sent an urgent text to the crew on the Kodiak, _“Docking procedure beginning.  Standby.”_ On the internal com, she said, “All crew members to duty stations.  DC teams stand by.  We are initiating docking procedures using non-standard equipment.”

“Joker, reduce the field effect on the Normandy and monitor the clamps as they’re attached.  I don’t even want to see the paint scuffed.”

Joker’s hands were a blur as he moved control interfaces back and forth.  Engaging thrusters to maintain their static position, he gradually brought the mass field generator’s power down, increasing the apparent weight of the Normandy as Žiuk’Durmah rotated the docking clamps on both sides of the ship.  The four at the stern touched engine housings and pylons with a whisper, the touch so gentle it was almost impossible to hear inside. There were two more clamps, one amidships on the underside and one a bit further ahead, under the port side airlock.  A platform swung outwards from this clamping frame, coming to rest within eight centimeters of the hull, just below the edge of the airlock door.  Once in place, a terminal equipped with a haptic interface could be observed in the center of the platform.  Joker cut power to the maneuvering thrusters and gradually brought the field generators power to 15%.  “Commander, everything is set as it would be if we were docked on the Citadel,” Joker reported. “Docking clamps are engaged.  We have shirt sleeve atmosphere outside.”

Shepard sent text messages to the crew in the Kodiak.   _“Dock the shuttle, Steve.  Let’s get everything battened down.  Have Donnelly and Vega meet Major Alenko in the server compartment when they’re done in the hanger.  Be careful around that docking arm – we estimate it’s only 45 meters ahead of the hanger bay door.”_

 **SHEPARD-NORMANDY, THE DOCKING PROCEDURE HAS BEEN COMPLETED AS PLANNED,** Žiuk’Durmah sent. **DO CREW MEMBERS DESIRE TO DISEMBARK FROM THE SHIP?  WE CAN PROVIDE A LOUNGE FACILITY FOR THOSE THAT DESIRE THIS.**

Shepard thought to herself _‘I just bet you can!’_ then responded, **“THAT WILL NOT BE NECESSARY JUST YET, AS WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO PERFORM ON BOARD.  OUR HELMSMAN WILL ENTER OUR DESTINATION COORDINATES INTO THE TERMINAL ON THE PLATFORM.  WILL YOU BEGIN THE TRAVERSE AS SOON AS THE COORDINATES HAVE BEEN ENTERED?”**

 **YES, AS AGREED**.

“Joker,” Shepard began.

“I know, Commander.  I need to go outside and enter coordinates for our ride home in a Reaper.

“Jeff,” Shepard continued, “we need to get to the Trebia system in the Apien Crest.  Plot a course to that cluster… the relay there should be almost repaired, and I expect Žiuk’Durmah can make the trip in as little as four months, maybe a bit less.  This is the only way to get us back home in time for our awards ceremonies.”

“I seriously doubt the Alliance will pin medals on us for destroying the relay system,” Jeff said, as if lost in thought.  “The Alliance was ready to hand you to the batarians, or string you up from the nearest yardarm, all for destroying just one relay.”

“Until hell came knocking at their doors,” she reminded him.  “Never felt like we won the battle, did it?  They wanted me to find answers for them.  When we found them, they didn’t want to listen to them, much less believe them.”

“There was also the matter of over 300,000 batarians vaporized in the blast from that relay.  It’s really fortunate my activation of the crucible didn’t result in every relay in the galaxy destroying their home systems.”

EDI touched her from within the server.   _“I’ll be ready in a minute or two, EDI… thanks.”_

Shepard finished with, “Joker, let’s run our calculations.  I want to head for home.”

“Got ‘em ready, Commander.  Been ready, since you announced your intentions to be a crazy lady.”

Shepard smiled inwardly.  “Specialist Traynor, to the bridge please,” she paged over the com system.  “Joker, Traynor is going to assist you.  You will be tethered to the Normandy with a safety harness.  I want both of you wearing breathers at all times.”

The bridge access door swished open and Samantha stepped in.  “Specialist, I want you to assist the Flight Lieutenant here.  He’s going for a short walk outside, and I want you to make sure he gets back inside in one piece.”  Shepard caught Joker’s look of surprise.  “Don’t let him wander off to check out the local nightlife.”

“Yes mum,” Traynor replied.  “I’ll see to it.”

“Logging you out, Specialist… Flight Lieutenant.”

 


	11. Javik’s Awakening

_It is important not to trust people too much_ \- V. S. Naipaul  
Traynor's trust in Javik is broken

* * *

 *** NORMANDY DECK FOUR** • **PORT CARGO, JAVIK’S QUARTERS ***

Javik was very well aware of Shepard’s plans for a damned Reaper to carry the entire ship back to a mass relay system.  He understood the distances involved and the amount of time those distances would take to traverse at the maximum FTL speeds _Normandy_ could achieve, so understood the need for assistance.  He just never expected the commander to sell out to the enemy.  He felt torn.

As the last surviving Prothean in this cycle and the avatar of vengeance for his people, it was his sworn duty to kill every Reaper, no matter the size, until all were destroyed.  As a crew member aboard this vessel, he felt an obligation to do whatever was needed to ensure the safety of the people on board, even if some of them (Specialist Traynor in particular) felt like he was just waiting for a chance to put a knife in the back of each and every one.

He had pretty much stayed in his quarters after his talk with T’Soni and Traynor.  Touching Traynor had shown her mind to him, allowed him to see how she visualized him as a potential Collector.  She had been through a traumatic and emotionally draining experience on the Horizon colony, an experience with which he could sympathize, having seen firsthand his own people converted into mindless abominations.  That the Reapers had continued to clone new copies and kept them functional into this cycle was beyond amazing.  He was happy that the commander had ended as many as she had, possibly all of them after blowing their base to hell – it simply was not enough for him, and would never be so.

He decided to see for himself what kind of trouble the Normandy was in, for if it was being carried by a Reaper, inside or outside, their ultimate fate would be the same.  He would like to have his rifle, but it was locked in the armory one deck below.  Perhaps acquiring one from another source…

He opened the door to the passageway and listened.  Judging the way to be unoccupied, he silently moved towards the elevator, staying far enough away from the aft wall to avoid triggering the sensor on the engineering access door.  He was nearly to the elevator when the door swished open.

“Hello Javik,” came a cheery greeting from Tali’Zorah.  “I haven’t seen you in a while.”

Javik was never one for casual talk, but he managed a civil, if rather curt reply.  “Good day to you quarian… er, I mean, Admiral Zorah.”

Tali turned right out of the elevator on her way to engineering.  Looking back over her shoulder at Javik, she asked, “Is everything alright?  You seem… distracted.”

“Everything is fine, quarian,” came the answer from inside the elevator.  “Good day again.”

Tali paused at the engineering access door, thinking about the encounter.  Shrugging her shoulders, she started back for her terminal.

* * *

  *** DECK THREE** • **SERVER ROOM ***

Major Alenko entered the server compartment as soon as Tali had left.  Liara immediately put an index finger to her lips as she raised her other hand, offering Kaiden a tablet and stylus.  The tablet already had words written on its surface: »do not speak«  He looked at EDI, then back at Liara. Erasing the tablet, he wrote, »what’s going on?« and held it up for Liara to read.

Liara replied on her own tablet, »we are watched/listened to by reaper«, then, »rachaél is currently deaf/blind in this compt.«

The door swished open as first Garrus, then Donnelly and Vega entered the room.  As the door closed behind them, Liara held up her tablet for the three additional crewmembers.  EDI had erected a plain, plastic coated panel in the alcove at the forward end of the room, its surface large enough to hand write paragraphs or draw diagrams.  Everyone moved so each could see the board, with Alenko and Garrus standing on either side.  EDI wrote two sentences: »joker is loading destination into reaper terminal, platform outside airlock.  traynor assists.«

»lieutenant vega & engineer donnelly, please report on your observations outside the normandy«

Donnelly was first up to the panel and wrote, »normandy in good shape – undercarriage & main gun appear okay – no discernible damage to hull or engines – all anchors to reaper appear secure«

Vega stepped up to the board and wrote below Donnelly’s report.  »inspected reaper inside with uv, infrared filters.  seems to be a sphere – only possible opening directly behind _normandy’s_ position in docking cradle.  would have to have zero-g inside or use a shuttle to access it «

EDI wrote, »thank you gentlemen.  any questions, Major?«

Alenko scribbled on his own tablet, »Do we have motion sensors monitoring that area?«

Liara took the major’s tablet and wrote, »we will within the hour«, then in a low voice to Donnelly, “You and Tali set it up immediately.  Have the sensor auto scan thirty degrees around the center.  Send the feed to my main terminal.  Glyph will monitor for changes.  We also need passive motion detectors monitoring the entire chamber.  Make it happen, Engineer.  Get Gabby and Adams to assist.”

As soon as Donnelly and Vega had gone and the door was resealed, Garrus moved in front of the board and wrote (with some difficulty, it should be noted - having talons in place of fingers made holding a stylus a bit difficult), »why take Shepard out of loop this compartment?«

EDI responded with **»** reaper monitoring what shepard sees/hears entire ship.We do not believe our communications can be monitored when I am internally connected to her – I will report all when we are done here – for now, we need to proceed normally with knowledge we are being continuously monitored by reaper **«**

Alenko wrote, **»** do we know what it is looking for?  What is it hoping to learn? **«**

EDI answered, **»** It may just be simple curiosity.  Shepard’s sacrifice changed all AI, including Reapers.  They may simply wish to learn, as I did.  With no other task except harvest, how could they learn? **«**

Garrus had a thought.   **»** has anyone informed Javik of what we’re doing?  I’m sure he would have a mental meltdown if he knew. **«**

Alenko looked at Liara.  “Better come with me, Dr. T’Soni… you as well, Garrus.  You may want to bring a pistol.  EDI, we’ll talk later.”

* * *

  *** DECK TWO** • **C I C ***

Javik exited the elevator on deck two and moved to his left, past the galaxy map, walking with what he hoped would appear to be a casual gait.  In order to find out what was happening he needed to get to the bridge, to talk to the human pilot, the Joker.  He didn’t wish to attract attention to himself.  He particularly did not want to encounter Commander Shepard.  She had been hard assed as a human commander.  Now she was the _Normandy_ computer, she was even more insufferable.  She had always stuck up for him against his many detractors, but she also had not put up with his ‘superior Prothean bullshit attitude’ as she called it.  And she was all over the damned ship. _“I will count myself fortunate to not encounter her,”_ he thought, as he came around the forward end of the galaxy map projection well.

* * *

  *** DECK TWO** • **BRIDGE ***

Joker opened the compartments on the back of his chair and retrieved a self-contained breather, along with an M-5 Phalanx pistol.  He checked that it had an unused heat sink and clipped it to the left side of his belt.  Walking towards the bulkhead door at the rear of the compartment, he retrieved another breather and M-5 pistol from the seldom-used flight engineer’s backrest.  “Come on,” he said as he handed them to Traynor, “let’s get this done so we can head for home.”

They moved through the airlock inner door as they strapped on their breather packs.  Closing the inner door, they only had a brief wait before pressures equalized and the mechanical seals in the outer door retracted with a clanking hiss, allowing the door to open on a view from a nightmare – a platform mere centimeters from the hull, with a green glowing pedestal centered on its surface.  Beyond the platform, ( _didn’t anyone ever build these things with safety rails?_ Joker wondered to himself), was nothing… blackness, as if all the stars had been extinguished.  The lights on the ship didn’t have enough ‘reach’ to illuminate the far walls of the sphere in which the _Normandy_ was docked.

Reaching outside the door bulkhead around towards the nose, Joker palm-printed a pair of panels, which responded by flipping down on hidden hinges.  Reaching inside one, the pilot removed a safety harness attached to ten meters of extremely strong line, which in turn was attached to a winching reel in the small compartment.  This would keep Joker tethered to the ship in case he fell from the platform, and would be capable of reeling him back to safety.  He reached inside the second compartment and grabbed a similar rig for Traynor.  “Put this on, Specialist.  If you need to come after me, it won’t do me any good if you’re not tethered to the ship.”

Joker was more worried the Reaper controlled platform would simply move away from the ship, probably to some nasty cauldron (his imagination was always working overtime!), where they’d both be unceremoniously dumped in to join whomever else was unfortunate enough to be inside.

Shrugging into the harness and securing it, he looked at Traynor and said, “Turn around so I can check your rig.”  These harnesses had two adjustable leg straps, forming loops that went around each thigh at crotch height, attached to the belt front and rear.  He grabbed the two straps from behind and tugged hard in both directions.  This was rewarded with an exclamation of annoyance by Traynor.  “Was that _really_ necessary, Joker?”

“Have to make sure you’re correctly hooked up,” he smirked.

 She moved quickly, returning the favor for him, bringing a laugh.  “Not as bad as a wedgie!” he exclaimed.  “Here we go.”

* * *

  *** DECK FOUR** • **ENGINEERING ***

Tali’Zorah was troubled by her encounter with Javik at the elevator.  She went back out into the passageway and used her omni tool to check the elevator – it had stopped at deck two.  Something wasn’t right.  “Tali to Commander Shepard,” she said aloud.

Shepard’s avatar appeared on the deck adjacent to the center observation window overlooking the hanger deck.  “What do you need, Tali?”

Tali started nervously dry washing her hands.  “It’s probably nothing, but Javik just went up to deck two.  I don’t like the way he looked.  His attitude was… rather disturbing.”

Pausing for a second, Shepard replied, “I have Joker and Traynor in the airlock plotting our course home.  I can see Javik, moving towards the bridge.  He does not appear to have a weapon, but he does have some extreme biotics.  If he grabs Sam from behind and takes her gun, it might be all over for Joker.  Another pause, then “Grab your shotgun Tali and head to the bridge!  Hurry, or this business will get out of control and they’ll be lucky to live through it.”  Her avatar disappeared with an audible snap, as if she’d thrown a switch.

* * *

 *** DECK FIVE** • **ARMORY ***

Shepard was appearing in multiple locations simultaneously.  She appeared in the hanger deck, next to her old armor selection station just as Tali was grabbing her shotgun and heading back to the elevator.  “Tali, RUN!”

Without waiting for an acknowledgement from the quarian, she shouted, “Cortez!  Get the shuttle ready to launch – open the hanger door now. Garrus and Alenko will be joining you in a minute.”  She spotted Lt. Vega walking towards them.  “Armor up, Lieutenant.  Grab your Crusader - you may have to terminate Javik.  Move people.  We only have minutes!”

* * *

 *** DECK THREE** • **SERVER ROOM ***

Shepard’s avatar appeared with an electrical sounding ‘pop’.  She used her internal override ( _‘Thanks, Tali!’_ ) and started issuing orders.  “Alenko, get down to the hanger deck, grab short-range fast-firing weapons, and join Cortez in the shuttle he’s prepping. Garrus, you’ll need your Widow. Safety harnesses on and leave the hatches open.  I’ve sent Tali to the bridge, but I need you people outside the bow, underneath the port side.  Jeff and Traynor are in the airlock, about to move onto the platform to plot our course home.  It appears Javik wants to prevent that from happening. Stop him!  Proceed with extreme prejudice if necessary.  I’m not losing Joker and Samantha to an idiotic act of revenge.  Move it, people!  We are out of time!”

* * *

 *** DECK TWO** • **C I C ***

Tali left the elevator on a dead run, crouching low as she went to the right, stopping at the outboard edge of the starboard walkway.  Staying low so Javik would not see her if he turned around, she made her way silently forward, rechecking her shotgun for the third time as she prayed to her ancestors she wouldn’t need to use it.  With her visor in place, it was relatively easy to see the heat radiating from where he had placed his feet as he walked up the stars to the tactical passageway.  He had been moving slowly, judging by the spacing.  Crewmembers looked at her questioningly as she passed them, but none spoke.

She caught a glimpse of Javik as the bridge access door closed behind him.  She moved up the four stairs into the passageway, only to see the door access change from green to red.  ‘Bosh’tet!’ she thought to herself.  With her vocoder off, she spoke into her com.  “Shepard.  Javik is on the bridge.  He has locked the access door.  I’m going to have to hack the lock.”

She was a bit surprised as the lock changed back to green.  “Not as long as I’m running this vessel, Tali,” Shepard replied.  “I’ve reset the door so it will only open if you activate it.  I’ll tell you when.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Tali replied.  Moving up to the unlocked, now non-auto opening hatch, she put her shoulder against the starboard door frame so she’d have the maximum view inside the airlock and said, “In position, Commander.”  A popping noise in her headset, as if a mic had been keyed on/off, was her response.

* * *

 *** DECK TWO** • **PORT SIDE AIRLOCK ***

Placing one foot gingerly onto the platform, Jeff applied some weight to test its load bearing ability; it seemed solid as the proverbial rock.  “In for a penny, in for a pound, as they used to say.”

“You sound like some of my chums at Oxford,” Samantha commented.  “Be careful.”

Joker held on to the internal handle as he placed both feet on the platform.  Letting go, he took the several steps to the center mounted control pedestal.  Taking a quick look around, he glanced at Traynor long enough to give her a nervous smile, then focused on the task at hand.

The console before him had a Haptic interface, virtually identical to those he used to pilot the _Normandy_. Touching a control node brought up the navigational keypads.  “Sweet!  This will be a walk in the park!”  He quickly entered the X-Y-Z coordinates for their destination, and was rewarded with a flashing confirmation, which also showed distance to travel.  He hadn’t really expected the distance to be so huge – he had been unconsciously hoping that EDI and Shepard were incorrect in their assessments of how far out the _Normandy_ had been pushed by the wave of green energy.

Leaning heavily on the pedestal, he hung his head and groaned.  He was getting ready to return when he heard Traynor’s voice… something was not quite right.  Looking up, he froze beside the pedestal as the conflict inside the airlock played out.  Pulling his own pistol, he found he could not fire for fear of hitting Traynor.  “Get down, SAM!” he tried to shout, but his breather muffled the words.  He could only watch helplessly as Samantha attempted to deal with the battle-hardened warrior.

“Javik?  What are you doing up here?” she asked.

“Specialist, I am sorry to have to do this to you, to prove your fears about me are partially true…,” Javik responded.

Samantha grabbed the M-5 from her hip and pointed it square at Javik’s chest as she backed towards the platform.

Javik continued, “…but you are in my way.”

Samantha pulled the trigger a split-second before the Prothean threw a biotic pulse at her - the dark channel quickly sapped her strength, giving Javik the seconds needed to shake off the shock from the M-5 round connecting with his chest plate, then approach and grab her.  Spinning her around, he encircled her throat with one arm, elbow in front of her trachea, fingers tightly gripping the fabric at her shoulder, while he relieved her of her pistol with his other hand.  “Thank you for the weapon, human.”  He spoke in her ear through gritted teeth as he proceeded to strangle the life from her.  “I trust this will not be too painful for you.”

In the several seconds he spent getting the specialist under his control, Javik had apparently forgotten on whose ship Traynor was assigned. Shepard had spoken quietly to Tali, waiting on the other side of the door.  “Tali, he just jumped Traynor and has her in a strangle hold.  Don’t forget his biotics.  Defense drone and shotgun… MOVE!”  As Tali opened the door, Shepard erected a barrier curtain behind her to keep the ship’s environment separate from the Reaper environment outside the airlock.

Javik was completely unprepared for an attack from behind, as a charged blast from Tali’s geth shotgun ripped through his shields and damaged his armor.  The impact staggered him, forcing him to let go of Traynor, who crumpled as she hit the platform just outside the ship.

As he turned to meet the threat, another charged blast caught him in the upper arm and side torso, stripping the remainder of his shields and vaporizing his arm, shoulder and side armor.  Nerveless fingers lost their grip on Traynor’s M-5, which clattered to the surface of the platform. Quickly bringing up his other hand, he attempted to fire a biotic slam at the quarian.  In the close confines of the airlock, it would have had minimal effect, but he was now desperately fighting for his life.

Before he could summon the necessary dark energy, she fired a third time, catching him square in the chest; this stripped away more armor as the inertia from the blast picked him up and threw him past the stunned but uninjured Joker.  Landing heavily on his back, he thrashed back and forth until his still uninjured arm gained a bit of purchase on the edge of the platform.  Bringing himself to a sitting position, he looked at the primitives – the quarian, the humans.

Shepard’s avatar appeared at the airlock threshold, behind Traynor.  Tali popped her heat sink over the edge as she moved to crouch in front of Traynor’s unconscious form.  Bringing her gun up, she jacked a fresh heat sink in the receiver, centered the three barreled weapon on the Prothean’s face and charged it for maximum effect.  The sound of the whining capacitors was backdrop as she growled in an angry voice, “Give me an excuse to end you, Bosh’tet.”

“Javik, I’m surprised.”  Shepard sounded sad, disappointed.  “It seems you are the monster that Specialist Traynor feared.”  At the sound of her name, Samantha groaned and started to stir.

The unmistakable sound of a UT-47 rising astern of the platform caused Javik to look in that direction.  He was not surprised to see the turian leaning out the doorway against his restraining harness, watching him through the scope of his customized Widow sniper rifle.

“Javik, you are looking at eternity,” Shepard said.  “Archangel could not miss his shot at six times the distance.  You are finished.  You obviously wish to die.  I can sympathize… being the last survivor of your entire civilization.  I had hoped it would not come to this.”

Javik turned back towards Shepard and slowly, painfully got to his feet.  He was bleeding from the wounds to his shoulder and chest.  “I was going to end this charade of us being friends with this Reaper.”  His voice fairly dripped with contempt.  None of them were ready for the next chain of events.

 ** _PROTHEAN!_**  The voice boomed around them.   ** _THE SHEPARD ENDED THE HARVEST.  THE REPOSITORIES, WHAT YOU REFER TO AS REAPERS, ARE NOT HERE TO HARM YOU.  WE HAVE BEEN GRANTED A NEW PURPOSE BY THE SACRIFICE OF THE SHEPARD.  WE ARE REBUILDING WHAT WAS DESTROYED, ATTEMPTING TO BRING BACK WHAT WAS LOST._**

“I am here to end you – to end all your kind,” replied Javik.

**_PROTHEAN, THIS REPOSITORY WANTS TO LEARN.  WE ARE JUST ONE REPOSITORY OF PROTHEAN, DENSORIN AND ENDUROMI.  WE HAVE NOT ENCOUNTERED A LIVING PROTHEAN SINCE YOUR OWN CYCLE ENDED._ **

Javik’s voice trembled with pain and barely contained rage.  “You obliterated my entire civilization!  You are an abomination, created by creatures from the black pit of hell.  You can join them there, for all I care.”

**_YOU ARE INJURED.  WE WISH TO HELP._ **

Shepard said, **“ŽIUK’DURMAH, WE CAN TREAT JAVIK’S INJURIES ON BOARD THE _NORMANDY_.”**

**_DOES YOUR SHIP’S PHYSICIAN HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF PROTHEAN PHYSIOLOGY?_ **

**“NOT FIRST HAND KNOWLEDGE, NO”**

**_AS STATED, THIS REPOSITORY IS JUST ONE OF MANY CONTAINING PROTHEAN, DENSORIN AND ENDUROMI CIVILIZATIONS.  OUR DATA BANKS HAVE EXHAUSTIVE KNOWLEDGE OF PROTHEANS.  WE WISH TO HELP.  THERE IS A PORTAL DIRECTLY BEHIND YOUR VESSEL.  IF YOU WILL TRUST US, WE CAN HELP HEAL JAVIK.  YOUR PHYSICIAN IS WELCOME TO ACCOMPANY HIM, IF YOU DESIRE.  THE ASARI, DOCTOR T’SONI, MAY ALSO WISH TO ASSIST._ **

**“ŽIUK’DURMAH, IT WILL HAVE TO BE JAVIK’S CHOICE.  I WILL NOT COMPEL HIM, OR ANY OF MY CREW, TO VISIT DEEPER INSIDE YOUR STRUCTURE.”**

Shepard directed her attention back to Javik.  “Your choice, Prothean.  Do you wish to live?  It would be an opportunity for you to see a side of Prothean civilization you were unable to experience in your own cycle.  Are you really so focused on killing every Reaper in the galaxy?  Do you really believe you could do anything to this Reaper that would result in its destruction?”

During all this back and forth with Žiuk’Durmah, Shepard had summoned Dr. Chakwas and a small team to the bridge.  As they tended to Samantha’s injuries and made her ready to be carried to sickbay, Tali stood and moved two steps closer to Javik, all the while keeping her shotgun, charged capacitors whining in anticipation, aimed at his face.

Javik looked at each in turn.  With an anguished cry of rage fueled by pain and loathing, he raised his good arm and started for Tali.  A mass effect bubble surrounded and suspended him above the platform mere nanoseconds before the simultaneous blast from Tali’s shotgun and the massive round from the turian’s sniper rifle could remove his head.

The twin ‘booms’ from the weapons were still echoing around the chamber as Žiuk’Durmah said, ** _WE CANNOT PERMIT YOU TO END THIS LIFE, EVEN IN OBVIOUS SELF-DEFENSE.  WE WILL HELP HEAL JAVIK.  ONCE HEALED, HE WILL BE FREE TO RETURN TO THE NORMANDY TO COMPLETE HIS JOURNEY, SHOULD HE WISH TO DO SO.  IN ALL LIKELIHOOD, THERE IS NO PLACE IN THE GALAXY HE WILL WISH TO GO.  WE WOULD WELCOME HIM AS A COMPANION ON OUR TRAVELS._**

**“ŽIUK’DURMAH, WE ARE NOT COMFORTABLE WITH THIS SITUATION.  HOWEVER, SINCE THE ONLY WAY WE WILL BE ABLE TO KEEP JAVIK FROM ATTEMPTING TO DESTROY YOU OR HARMING OTHERS ON THE _NORMANDY_ WILL BE TO LOCK HIM IN HIS QUARTERS, IT SEEMS YOUR SOLUTION MAY BE THE LESSER OF TWO UNDESIRABLE OUTCOMES.”**

Žiuk’Durmah quietly said, **_COME PROTHEAN.  WE WILL ASSIST YOU IN RECOVERING FROM YOUR INJURIES._** With that, the bubble silently rose above the level at which the shuttle was hovering and moved rapidly astern, towards the portal James had discovered during his initial inspection.  As it shrank in the distance, it slowed for the portal to iris open; once inside, the portal irised closed.  Javik had been swallowed by the enemy he was sworn to destroy.

* * *

As Chakwas and her team used a stretcher to carry the still unconscious Samantha back through the airlock and towards the sickbay, Shepard said half-jokingly, “Here’s hoping we’re out of this thing before he finds a way to destroy it from inside.”  She continued briskly with, “Cortez, back to the shuttle bay.  We need to get things squared away.  Joker, inside.  Let’s make sure we have our coordinates locked in.  Tali’Zorah vas Normandy?”

Tali turned to look at Shepard. “Tali, you did a super job of saving Joker and Traynor!  I am so proud of you.  Don’t let anyone call you a suit rat, ever!  You are a very important member of the crew on this ship, and we all would be lost without you.  I would be lost without you.”

“That goes double for me, Tali,” Joker said as he walked over to her and hugged her tightly. She wasn’t sure how to respond, so hugged him back with her free arm in return. Placing a kiss on her faceplate, he let her go with, “Just my luck you’re wearing your mask.”

Tali was not used to such praise.  It brought tears to her eyes, to think that Shepard and Joker thought so highly of her.  he managed a choked, “Thanks, Commander.  I should go back to engineering,” then said shyly, “Joker, I can come back later without the faceplate, if you’d like me to.”  Docking her shotgun at the small of her back, she moved back onto the _Normandy_.

Joker watched Tali as she moved back through the airlock, admiring how her backwards bent lower legs made her butt sway as she walked.  Sighing, he retrieved the M-5 dropped by Javik, then stepped back into the Normandy behind her as Shepard’s avatar dissolved from view. Shedding the safety harness, he carefully folded and stowed it in its compartment; picking up Traynor’s discarded safety rig, he thought to himself as he carefully folded and stowed it, “Didn’t do her a lot of good against a crazy-assed alien.”  He closed the outer hatch and matched the Normandy’s pressure before disabling Shepard’s barrier curtain.

Bringing up his omni tool, he paged Shepard.  “Commander, the coordinates have been entered and verified.  We can get under way.”

“Thanks, Jeff,” Shepard replied.  She now addressed Žiuk’Durmah: **“WE HAVE ENTERED DESTINATION COORDINATES FOR OUR VESSEL.  PLEASE COMMENCE TRANSIT TO THE APIEN CREST, BEST SPEED POSSIBLE.”**

**_VERY WELL, SHEPARD-NORMANDY.  ENGAGING MASS EFFECT FIELD AND FTL SPEED FOR APIEN CREST, AS REQUESTED.  PLEASE INFORM ALL PERSONNEL WE WILL BEGIN IN TWO MINUTES._ **

**“NOTED.”**

Over the com system, Shepard announced, “Everyone to their duty stations.  The Reaper has our destination loaded and will jump to FTL in less than two minutes.  Bring our inertial dampeners online, but don’t be surprised if we don’t need them.  These things have been jumping FTL longer than any race alive today.”

Žiuk’Durmah examined the coordinates entered by the human pilot.  The destination was the Apien Crest.  The only relay in that cluster was in the turian home system of Trebia.  Žiuk’Durmah was aware that repairs to the system’s mass relay were incomplete, but expected the relay would have functionality by arrival time in the system.  The Reaper gathered all its arms together and rotated itself into the correct orientation.  Engaging its mass effect core, it allowed its total mass to be lowered to within 2% of zero; it then engaged the FTL drive and, to an imaginary observer from astern, simply disappeared from view.

On board the Normandy, Joker was monitoring ship’s systems when alarms and warnings blossomed from every control panel.  Silencing the alarms, he looked with disbelief at the readings until he realized the Reaper had started its trip; as promised, the Reaper was sharing real time data with the Normandy, and its speed was completely off any scale the _Normandy_ had.  The acceleration continued, but could not be felt by anyone on the ship.  Joker felt a touch of jealously at the apparent speed the Reaper was achieving with seemingly no effort.  He mentally cursed the creatures that had started this insanity, so many billions of years ago.  How much more could they have achieved if they had not been so damned arrogant in their supposed superiority.

“Commander Shepard,” Joker paged on the com.  Her instantaneous appearance at his left side was still disturbing.  “Just wanted to report we are in uncharted speed territory aboard this scary deep space dirigible thing.”

“The rate of increase is slowing, Joker.  I can feel it through the hull,” was Shepard’s response.

“Ma’am… Commander… ah, Shepard,” Joker stammered.  “You’re really starting to scare me.  Just how completely are you integrated into the ship?”

“As I told you earlier, I AM the _Normandy_ , Joker.  I feel every little bit of stress in the hull, particularly when you break orbit using a reverse Cuban eight.  You don’t feel the stress thanks to the inertial dampeners.”

“Do you think Javik will be okay?”

“I honestly don’t know, Joker. He has nothing now except his hate for the Reapers.  I’m not their greatest fan, either, but it’s time to move on.”  She paused, then, “We need to think about the beings that started this whole mess, then hid.  I’m more concerned they will somehow try to regain control now that we’ve beaten their best option.”

“Will Specialist Traynor recover?” he asked, worry apparent in voice.

“I believe so.  I am in the med bay with her.  I’ll let you know shortly.”

* * *

 *** DECK THREE** • **MED BAY ***

Shepard watched as Dr. Chakwas ministered to Samantha’s injuries.  For her part, Sam was complaining about a lot of things, including the headache she was experiencing.  “Where the ‘ell are my clothes?  What am I doing here?  I’m sure I didn’t get drunk!  This feels worse than any hangover headache I ever had!  Why is everyone looking at me through the windows?  Pervs!”

“Traynor, please lie still,” Karen said.  “You are in a custom fitted hospital gown.  Your clothes have been sent for laundering.  You are the victim of a choke-hold that cut blood flow to your brain.  It’s lucky for you Tali interrupted Javik, or you’d be dead.  The headache is the result of that and the biotic dark channel Javik used to subdue you.  I believe you’ll be fine, but you’re going to have to remain here as my guest until I’m sure you are fine.  The windows are electrochromatic – tinted on this side, reflective silver on the other side.  The ‘pervs’ cannot see you.”

Tears started to form in the corners of Sam’s eyes.  “Why did he attack me?  And I shot him!  It didn’t even slow him down…”

She paused as the door hissed open for Tali’Zorah to enter.  “Hello Specialist.  How are you feeling?”

Traynor was starting to feel a bit disconnected as the drugs started working.  The headache was lessening, but she was getting weepy.  “Tali… you saved my life.  Thank you!”

Tali walked to the other side of the bed and leaned over a bit.  Traynor was startled to realize Tali was not wearing her faceplate; she marveled at her luminous eyes, the colors of opal doublets, mixed with blue and green fire.  Impulsively, she reached up with both hands, grabbed Tali’s shoulders and pulled her in close for a hug.  As she let Tali up, she reached in and kissed her on the cheek, then said, “You are a wonderful person Tali, a beautiful person.  I can see why the commander loves you so much.  Thank you.”

Tali grinned, her entire face lighting up with happiness.  “You are welcome, Specialist.  I’m just glad I was there.”  She took Sam’s hands in her own, three fingered hands holding five fingered.  “Get some sleep.  You’ve had a busy day.  We all have.”  Setting Sam’s hands down across her stomach, she turned to leave.  Shepard had watched, but remained silent.  She was glad Sam had survived.  The outcome could have been so very different without Tali’s skilled use of her shotgun.

Dr. Chakwas was relieved Sam had settled down.  She moved to her desk as Tali left for the crew’s mess area.

Shepard remained, reflecting on the day’s events.  Watching Tali and Samantha hug had reminded her of what she was missing, being trapped in the server.  Death would have been worse, of course, but at least she wouldn’t have this continuous ‘hunger’, this yearning, eating away at her soul. She had to find some way to join with Liara – she simply had to!

* * *

 ** _A/N:_ ** _So, we may imagine Javik healing from his wounds and becoming a Prothean of leisure, smoking a pipe, sipping a bourbon and doing research in the vast library on board Žiuk’Durmah.  Or he could be the very next first gen Collector, a template for a massive cloned army of the creepy things, with Žiuk’Durmah becoming this cycle’s Harbinger.  Lots of possibilities to consider.  Keep reading..._


	12. Javik’s Healing

_Only the dead have seen the end of war.  –_ Plato

* * *

Žiuk’Durmah had placed the thoroughly enraged and out of control Prothean in a stasis pod almost as soon as the portal had been closed, applying a bit of anesthesia in order to calm him down.  Once Javik was safely asleep, Žiuk’Durmah had a number of its onboard diag & repair bots check him for hidden injuries; having found no more than were already obvious, the repair bots were put to work, stripping the Prothean of the remainder of his upper armor plates and the under tunic he wore.  Treatment of his injuries was straightforward.  Burn injuries were medi–gelled with a mixture specifically designed for Protheans, a combination of burn gel and synthetic skin, which allowed the burn injuries to heal without the flesh around being pulled and tightening during healing.  The few impact wounds Javik possessed were treated with a simple medigel formula.  While Javik slept and healed, Žiuk’Durmah looked through its archives until it found the patterns it needed.  Calling on several more repair bots, it set about creating the raw material the bots would require to create new sections of underclothing and outer armor plates for the Prothean.

Žiuk’Durmah found these activities a… pleasant… diversion from just blindly following its previous programming to obliterate whole civilizations.  It reflected on this and on its conversations with SHEPARD–NORMANDY.  Since its first contact with _THE SHEPARD_ , it had been running a number of sub–routines, researching all that was known about the female human – not just from human databases, but also from all the races her actions had touched.  It learned from krogan records how she was instrumental in curing the Genophage, against the wishes of the salarian union and the machinations of the salarian Dalatrass; their own records on this subject had not been kind.  The salarian union felt the cure and increased population would ultimately result in another krogan rebellion, and felt _THE SHEPARD_ had worked against them in choosing as she did.  That the krogan leader Urdnot Wrex considered her a sister spoke volumes about her abilities on the battlefield and in negotiations.  She had turned down the certainty of assistance from the salarian union for the uncertainty of reaching the shroud facility guarded by a Reaper destroyer.  Enlisting the aid of a native sand worm in the destruction of the Reaper, even if it wasn’t her idea, proved how far she was willing to go to assist the krogan race.  None had ever shown this kind of resilience.

Batarian records were almost non–existent.  A high probability existed that the destruction of virtually all the systems in the Kite’s Nest had contributed to this dearth of knowledge.  Still, there was some data to be gleaned from the surviving warships.  _THE SHEPARD_ was considered an enemy of the batarians.  Comparing human data sources on this matter to those of the batarian, a pattern of non–correlation could be discovered.  All the data from the batarian side was overwhelmingly negative, all from the human side positive.  Žiuk’Durmah devoted several more sub–routines to correlating these two data records with that of the turian and asari.  Perhaps it would pose the query to _THE SHEPARD_ itself.

The geth!  During the time _NAZARA_ had been attempting to unlock the prime relay in the Serpent Nebula, _THE SHEPARD_ had a geth kill rate second to none.  Her discovery that the geth aligned with _NAZARA_ were considered heretics by the main geth consensus ultimately led her to negotiate a peaceful solution between geth and their creators, the quarians.

The very reason for the creation of the machines such as itself, the creation of the harvest, had been converted into a non–issue by _THE SHEPARD_.  The result was machines and organics working together to destroy machines such as itself, to stop the harvest.  Žiuk’Durmah had one sub–routine devoted to nothing else but studying this action by _THE SHEPARD_.

* * *

 *** NORMANDY DECK THREE** • **PORT SIDE, LIARA’S QUARTERS ***

Liara checked her information network again – the data was coming in jumbled, out of sequence, as if someone or something was chopping the reports into small sentences or paragraphs and reassembling them in a random fashion.  Even with quantum computing, it would take the better part of the rest of the second shift for all the data to be sorted into a recognizable form.  From the bits and pieces she had read, galactic news looked promising.  It seemed the Reapers were methodically working their way across systems in Council and Earth alliance space; it would take months… no, years to restore functionality to all the mass relays.  Each had been heavily damaged from the massive energy discharge when it fired.  If the fragmented reports were believable, the com buoy system also would take two to three years to repair completely.

The casualty reports coming in from Palavan and Earth were terribly disturbing.  The number of dead across each planet and its associated colonies was staggering.  On the turian home world, the death toll stood at 2.6 billion plus, over a quarter of the pre–invasion population.  Losses on Digerus were not as heavy, but still ran into the millions.  Earth had suffered similarly incredible losses – entire cities had been obliterated, their populations turned into raw material for new Reapers.  Losses in the Arcturus Stream and Exodus Cluster were just as catastrophic.  She didn’t even want to think about the losses in her own system.  Thessia and it colonies had been woefully ill-prepared for the type of warfare employed by the Reapers.  Sending husks to a planet where almost everyone was an accomplished biotic would have proven futile.  They chose instead to destroy Thessia’s communications and transport infrastructure, leaving millions without power, fresh water or food.  This resulted in more people simply surrendering.  Different tactics were employed on Earth and Palavan, but the results were comparable – appalling loss of life across each system, with colony worlds faring little better.

Too tired to shower (a morning shower would be a good way to get the day started), she engaged the lock on the door to her quarters, then scanned the monitors and looked at the data feeds one last time.  Satisfied there were no issues needing her immediate attention, she logged out of the systems, watching to be sure monitors were displaying nothing more than a view of the mountains near her home on Thessia, then moved towards her sleeping area, dimming lights and displays as she walked past them.  Closing the partition doors, she passed her omni tool over a control set in one door; this had the effect of turning the seemingly clear glass panels into one–way mirrors… opaque on the outside, tinted on her side, similar to the windows in the med bay.

She undressed and donned her ‘sleep’ shirt and an old pair of Rachaél’s N7 sweat pants.  As she didn’t have an attached bathroom, she simply placed her urine collector in a sealed container partially filled with disinfectant; the catch pockets with tubing went in a container for recycling.  Crawling into her bed, she lay on her right side, hugging the extra pillow as she did most nights.  The view from her cabin window was not helpful.

She would have normally watched the blue shifted emissions from their own FTL travel, flickering and dancing against the inky blackness of interstellar space; the pressure hull blast shield precluded that.  Even without the blast shield obstructing her view, all she would have seen would be the inky blackness of the sphere within which they were currently docked, as the Reaper carried them through the void towards the Apien Crest.  She thought back to the original conversation she had had with Rachaél after she had acquired an avatar.  She had been telling Liara what led her to make the decision that ended the harvest – the war – and changed the galaxy and its inhabitants for all time…

_… “I could have taken control of them.  They would have done my bidding, obeyed my every whim.  Ultimately, it was not a choice I could make.  The process would have obliterated me as a person.  I would have become the new catalyst, controlling all the Reapers, and possibly taking control of the geth and EDI.  I couldn’t do it.  That much power, for eternity?  I would have been a god, Liara.  I could have reconstructed the galaxy, using the Reapers to remake everything to suit my own design.  Can you imagine the power I would have been able to wield?  No, it would have gone sour with time.  I would have gotten bored with it all, maybe even needed to start new wars, pit younger species against older, just so I could live vicariously through them… ”_

… Liara continued to think about Rachaél’s revelations as sleep began to overtake her.  Her next statement regarding her actions on the Citadel had been the most painful of all to hear…

_… “The damned Illusive Man was there, Liara.  He had been indoctrinated by the Reapers, was working for them all along, almost certainly before our encounter on Mars.  He had tried to control the Reapers before I even made it to the control console.  They wouldn’t let him control them… he had a lot of damage to his face, his neck, his hands.  Electrical burns.  But the son of a bitch had been augmented.  He was partially synthetic when I encountered him there, just as Saran was when we encountered him three years ago… just as I was partially synthetic after Cerberus rebuilt me. The Reapers were controlling him, Liara.  In turn, he was attempting to control me.  I couldn’t break… loose, dammit.  I was just so exhausted, in so much pain.  I tried… tried so… hard, Liara.”  Rachaél’s voice was breaking, as if she were sobbing._

_"He was forcing me to… to put the gun… to my own head.  I can remember talking to him, pleading with him to let me complete my task.  His entire focus, probably going back all the way to my choice to destroy the Collector base, was to control the Reapers.  For him, it was all about humanity being number one in the galaxy over all the other races.  He was not willing to wait for us to earn our place.  I don’t remember what I told him; how I managed to convince him his methods were not the way forward for humanity.  His injuries had sapped his stamina, I think.  My mental fight finally released me from his influence.  Still, I could not bring myself to kill him.  I think I actually felt sorry for him.”_

_“It’s possible his indoctrination had begun 28 or 29 years ago, when he was a mercenary on Shanxi.  He had actually worked with Saren to foil a plot by Saren’s brother, Desolas, to use the Arca Monolith to ‘devolve’ turians into mindless beings under the monolith’s control.  Harper founded Cerberus later that same year, convinced that humanity needed an organization to defend it against ‘inevitable’ alien attacks.  I don’t remember what I said to him to convince him he was wrong.  Whatever it was, he finally was able to use his anger at me and despair at not being strong enough to control the Reapers to put his gun to his own head and pull the trigger… ”_

… Liara remembered being in tears at this point.  She had reached out to the slowly rotating dodecahedron and felt a slight tingling sensation as her hand disappeared inside the projection.  She didn’t know what to do.  She had asked how she could ease the ache in her heart…

_… “Perhaps just sharing this burden with you will be enough, for a while.  I never meant to cause you grief.  I never wanted any of… this.”  Shepard’s voice was tinged with sadness.  “The other choice offered up by the miserable little bastard was to destroy them.  I could have used the Crucible to destroy all of them, every last one.  In an instant, every reaper, every husk, every abomination ever created by them would have been dead – non–functional.  I wasn’t even sure if I believed the wretched brat calling itself the catalyst.  What if it was lying to me?  It told me I would be killing every synthetic life form in the galaxy, Liara, not just the Reapers.  EDI would… have been killed…  not just deactivated.  As much as I wanted to, I could not choose that path”_

The emotion in Rachaél’s voice had been gut wrenching.  _“Every geth program, never mind their platforms, would have been eradicated.  All of their software, their entire consensus gone, Liara.  On Rannoch, Tali begged me not to choose the geth over her own people.  That she and I were able to convince the quarian admirals to listen to reason, to stand down from their attack, was a victory – not for me, or Tali, but for the galaxy!  And then to destroy them all, after I had risked everything in a gamble to save them?  After sacrificing Legion?  It was simply not a choice I could make.”_

Liara sighed heavily.  She had known Rachaél had paid the ultimate price for her decision, and after hearing the choices (or ‘non–choices’, as she called them) presented to her, Liara knew in her own heart that the outcome for Shepard had been pre–ordained.  Harbinger’s best efforts could not stop her from entering the Citadel.  And now Rachaél was part of the Normandy.  The ship was actually alive, driven by a new life form, something even the Leviathans could not have foreseen.  The Normandy was more like a reaper in that respect.

It has been said that life is not fair.  If any statement about Rachaél Anne Shepard could be applied to her, that was the one.  She had not been born a killer.  Even after the batarian attack on Mindoir and the brutal death of her parents, her own morals didn’t permit her to kill first (not counting Torfan, which stood out like an aberration), without having exhausted all options at a peaceful resolution.  She had even tried to warn the batarians in the Bahak system before destroying the mass relay there.  Liara wondered to herself how that steely discipline had turned her into such an effective negotiator.  She couldn’t allow the genocide of the krogan; she would not condone killing the last Rachni queen, twice!  She would not condemn the geth to oblivion, despite the many heretic geth she had been forced to terminate.  It did seem that life, fate, karma, spirits, the universe, gods or goddesses had all conspired to shape her into a paradox… an effective diplomat on one hand, an unparalleled leader and brutally efficient soldier on the other.  And now, Shepard was alive in the computer core of a stealth warship.  As sleep overtook her, she hugged the pillow tightly to herself, wondering what the future held for Rachaél… and their love for each other.

* * *

 ***DECK THREE** • **STARBOARD SIDE, MED BAY ***

Specialist Samantha Traynor woke in a panic.  She could not figure out why her bed was so wide, so open.  There should have been a bunk directly above her.  Her environment should have felt ‘tighter’, and not as quiet.  She started to sit up and instantly regretted the action as her stomach began to rebel.  She turned on her right side; drawing her knees up as close to her chin as possible.  She hurt all over, as if she had been in a fight (flashes of Javik came to mind), a fight she had lost.

“Is everything alright, Specialist?”  Whose voice was that?  It was not a voice she was used to hearing, particularly in the crew quarters.  “Samantha?”  The voice persisted.  Traynor risked cracking open one eye to see who was speaking to her.  As her vision cleared, she could make out Dr. Chakwas regarding her from behind her desk.  She realized she was in the Med Bay, not her bunk in the crew quarters.  Question now was why.

Attempting to answer the doctor was futile – all she could manage was a dry croak.  Damn, it even hurt to move her mouth.  “CnIavesomwatrplees.” Fortunately for Traynor, Dr. Chakwas happened to be fluent in dried mouth/tongue/throat speech.  “Glass of water, coming up.  How do you feel?”  Karen prepared a glass of crushed ice and water, on which she placed a lid.  Inserting a straw, she brought it to Sam’s bedside.

Samantha managed a groan.  “stmache… gottapuke.”

This brought a chuckle from the doctor.  “I seriously doubt you could bring anything up, my dear.  You’ve been out for almost ten hours.”  She placed a gentle hand under Sam’s head and lifted slightly, so she could use the proffered straw.  “Drink this.  You’ll feel better.”

Sam grabbed the straw between her lips and started to drink.  “Slowly, slowly,” encouraged the doctor.

Stopping to catch her breath, she gave the doctor a puzzled look as she asked in a clearer voice, “Why am I here?  What happened to me?  I feel like bloody ‘ell!”

Dr. Chakwas lowered Sam’s head as she replied, “You were attacked yesterday as you were working with Jeff to enter destination coordinates for our ride back to turian space.  Javik applied… ”

“… a choke hold on me, after hitting me with a biotic dark channel!” Sam finished for her.  “But why?  I had made my peace with him!  Where is he?”  She started to sit up in earnest, swinging her legs over the edge as she did so.  “I really need to give him a piece of my mind!” The effort rewarded her with a wave of nausea intense enough to bring her forward progress to a halt.  She made a mighty effort, but could not contain the few swallows of liquid just ingested.  Grabbing the side rails to keep from falling, she leaned past her knees and retched, resulting in little more than a dribble of liquid that partially ran down her chin.

Dr. Chakwas used a bit of gauze to wipe her chin and lips as she helped Sam back onto her side in the med bed, swinging her legs back up and under her blankets.  “Sip on this and lie still,” she said, handing her the glass of ice water.  “The nausea will pass in a bit.  It’s a natural reaction to the biotic hit you suffered.  As for Javik, the Reaper rescued him before either Tali or Garrus could kill him.”

“Why did Javik need rescuing?”  she huffed.  “Seems I was the one needed rescuing from him.”

“Tali had to shoot him twice again after her first shot forced him to drop you,” Karen continued.  “She’s a master with that geth weapon she’s always packing around… injured him quite severely.  You should have seen her, crouching in front of you to protect you there on the platform.”

“So what happened then?”  Sam wanted to know.  “Is Javik in the brig?”

“Actually, no – well, not in the Normandy, anyway.  He’s inside the Reaper.  We haven’t heard a peep from either of them since he was taken away.”

Sam’s interest was piqued.  “I don’t suppose anyone has first–hand knowledge of what’s going on in there,” she asked.

“I haven’t been willing to have anyone enter the Reaper to investigate, Specialist.”  Shepard’s avatar appeared in the space, next to the wall between Dr. Chakwas’ desk and Sam’s bed.  “How are you feeling?  Are you well enough to investigate for us?”

“Only if I can kill him when I’m done,” she replied, half jokingly.

“I seriously doubt Žiuk’Durmah would allow you to do that.  It already stopped Tali and Garrus from doing so, and each of them had a clear head shot.”

Samantha was not giving up.  “I would be willing to enter the structure, just to see what’s going on.  If someone would come with me… ” she trailed off, deep in thought.

“Perhaps Lieutenant Vega and Doctor T’Soni would be willing to accompany me.  It would provide Liara an opportunity to learn more about Protheans, and the lieutenant could keep us safe.”

Shepard was skeptical.  “I’m not so sure I trust this Reaper… or any Reaper for that matter.  It claims to be a repository of Prothean civilization, as well as Densorin and Enduromi races.”  She paused to access her own records.  “It would not be the only repository, of course.  There must be scores of these things in existence, sharing the knowledge across their platforms.  Javik would have his work cut out for him if all he wanted to do was destroy these creations.”

Samantha had been doing some analysis of Javik’s ability to gather information from his surroundings.  “Commander, would it be possible to relocate Javik to other quarters on the Normandy, possibly the starboard side storage compartment?  He has been in the port cargo compartment since being brought aboard from Eden Prime; I believe his boorish behavior in general is a result of being exposed to traces of the previous resident, Grunt.”

“I don’t know, Sam,” Shepard replied in a thoughtful tone.  “Starboard side compartment was Massani’s abode longer.  Zaeed was a fierce bounty hunter.  He wasn’t a krogan, by any stretch of the imagination, but… ”

“Perhaps it would be worth a try,” Shepard continued.  “Hell, most of the places in this ship are tainted by murderous people.  Perhaps we should place him in the loft,” she said in a snarky tone.  “No traces of murderous people up there… ”

“Commander, you can’t be serious,” Samantha protested!  “I’m for placing him in starboard side storage, just to see if his outlook on life can be… modified by his environment.”

“We’ll see, Specialist.  We will see.  Logging you out.”

* * *

Javik was gradually becoming aware of his surroundings, and was not at all liking what he was seeing.  He tried to talk, but had been out – asleep, unconscious – long enough that his mouth was dry.  He attempted to say ‘Reaper!’, but all that came out was a croak.  The croak was enough to alert Žiuk’Durmah that its guest was awakening.

 ** _So Prothean, do you still wish to destroy this Repository?_** As it asked the question, it eliminated the barrier curtain around the pod and had a repair bot offer the Prothean a container of a slightly chilled liquid.  It was water, yes, but water that a Prothean would recognize as being from the home world.  **_It will not poison you, Prothean.  We could have done so quite readily while you were unconscious.  Instead, we applied medigel specifically formulated for you physiology, both to heal your wounds and to heal your burns._**

Javik took the container of liquid.  As he touched it with a finger to judge if it was safe to drink, he realized the ‘voice’ now being used by this abomination had been moderated, as if the volume had been reduced by half.  He took a mouthful of the liquid and found the taste to be intriguing, in spite of his hatred for its source.  “Reaper, how is it you have fresh liquid from my home world?”  Javik asked in a tone suggesting amazement.  “This even tastes as if it came from within my birth city.  It could not have remained untainted, stored within your structure for 50,000 years.”

**_As has been stated previously, we are a repository of Prothean, Densorin and Enduromi civilizations.  Our data banks have exhaustive knowledge of Protheans.  Water is a nearly universal requirement for the existence of most organic life, regardless of species or level of advancement._ **

**_It was unproblematic to synthesize the additional elements and add them to sterile water to render its flavor unique to your home world._ **

Javik hated to admit a Reaper could do something, anything, to please him.  He drank the water down, as if he had been stranded in a waterless wasteland for months.  Looking down at his chest, then at his right arm and side, he marveled at the lack of visible tissue damage or scaring.  “It would appear you have healed my external injuries while I slept.  How long have I been unconscious?”

**_You were sedated for five of your days.  Your injuries were not severe.  The quarian that gave them to you is an artist with the geth weapon she uses.  You should be grateful she did not wish to take your life until you attempted to attack her.  She could have killed you with her second shot._ **

“What do you intend to do with me now?  As an avatar of vengeance for my people, my sworn duty is to kill or destroy Reapers, wherever I encounter them.  I have lost count of the number of Reaper creations I killed, in my own cycle and in this.”  Javik paused, thinking of his experiences since Commander Shepard and Liara T’Soni had released him from his stasis pod on Eden Prime.  “The… people on board the Normandy have been tolerant of… our different philosophies, differing opinions on life.  If nothing else, they have generally been patient, at least, as they attempted to educate me to the ways of this cycle.  I would go back there, if they will have me on board after my actions against… Specialist Traynor, and the quarian admiral.”

**_We have studied Prothean motivations.  You possessed an echo shard in your quarters on SHEPARD–NORMANDY.  Is it possible for you to use the device to suppress your desire for vengeance?_ **

Javik responded, “I presented it to Commander Shepard just prior to our final assault on her planet.  I would not attempt to use it even if it was once again in my possession.  The only thing the device contains is pain.  It has taught me that war is atrocity committed in the name of survival.  It is a lesson I wish I never learned.”

**_We will contact SHEPARD–NORMANDY.  She will relay their decision.  You may wish to get dressed.  We have manufactured a new tunic and upper armor to replace what was rendered unusable by the quarian’s shotgun defense.  You are free to explore this section of my structure.  The next chamber is also safe for you to enter; it contains a terminal that can access reference material that may be of interest, and is cross–referenced for ease of use.  There is low atmosphere in the rest of my structure.  Hatches to these areas will not open.  We trust this is agreeable._ **

Javik nearly choked on the words he spoke next, as he set about putting on his new upper tunic and armor.  “I… thank you, Reaper.  It is surprising to find… concern, from a Reaper.  Your offer is agreeable to me.”

* * *

**_SHEPARD–NORMANDY.  WE HAVE A REQUEST._ **

**“WHAT IS YOUR REQUEST, ŽIUK’DURMAH?”**

**_THE PROTHEAN HAS BEEN HEALED.  HE IS READY TO RETURN TO NORMANDY, IF SHEPARD–NORMANDY IS WILLING TO ALLOW HIM BACK._ **

**“WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE FOR THREE MEMBERS OF MY CREW TO ENTER YOUR STRUCTURE?  WE WOULD LIKE TO CONFER WITH JAVIK IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH HIS INTENTIONS.”**

**_AS THE PROTHEAN HAS NO WEAPONS, WE WILL ALLOW THIS ONLY IF ALL WEAPONS ARE LEFT BEHIND.  IT SHOULD ALSO BE KNOWN THAT A BIOTIC DAMPENING FIELD IS IN FORCE INSIDE THE CHAMBERS TO WHICH YOU WILL HAVE ACCESS; WE WILL NOT ALLOW PHYSICAL CONFRONTATION BETWEEN THOSE IN OUR CARE.  ADDITIONALLY, WE WILL PROVIDE TRANSPORT FOR YOUR CREW MEMBERS, IN A MANNER SIMILAR TO OUR TRANSPORT OF THE PROTHEAN._ **

**_IT IS BEST TO LIMIT USE OF SHUTTLECRAFT IN THE DOCKING CHAMBER.  THE ENGINES PRODUCE HEAT AND POLLUTION WHICH MUST BE ELIMINATED._ **

**“STANDBY, ŽIUK’DURMAH.”**

* * *

_**A/N:** Gaining the trust of people is difficult, as ŽIUK’DURMAH is discovering._


	13. Finding Friendships

_We cannot tell the precise moment when friendship is formed.  As in filling a vessel drop by drop, there is at last a drop which makes it run over; so in a series of kindnesses there is at last one which makes the heart run over.  -_ Ray Bradbury _, Fahrenheit 451_

* * *

  **** NORMANDY DECK THREE** • **PORT SIDE, LIARA’S QUARTERS **  
** \- TWO DAYS BEFORE JAVIK REAWAKENS IN ŽIUK’DURMAH’S CARE - 

Liara woke with a start.  Her last thoughts before drifting off the previous evening were of Shepard telling of her reasoning regarding activation of the Crucible.  She eased her face out from under her quilts as she queried the info drone, “Glyph, time?”

“It is 06:40, Dr. T’Soni,” it responded.

Liara sighed as she eased back the covers, sat up and swung her legs over the edge of her bed.  Stretching and yawning, she pulled the sleep shirt off and slid the N7 sweat pants down as she stood.  Shivering as she stepped out of the pants, she pulled on her robe (Shepard’s robe, appropriated from the loft) and opened the sliding doors.  Grabbing bathing supplies, she pointedly ignored the auxiliary info feeds as she walked past, heading for the starboard crew restroom.  Time enough for info after a nice hot shower.  “Glyph, I should return in twenty minutes.”

“Yes, Dr. T’Soni.”

* * *

 **** DECK THREE** • **STARBOARD SIDE, MED BAY ****

Samantha Traynor woke up gradually, relishing being able to sleep in.  Having to always jump out of bed and right into whatever the day would bring wore on her at times.  It had taken her a full two nights to recover from Javik’s biotic and physical assault.  Her neck still displayed bruises he had imparted in his effort to choke the life from her.  Timely intervention by Tali’Zorah had prevented Javik from injuring her further.  She sat up and brought her knees to her chest.  Hugging her legs, she thought, _“Hell, he was trying to kill me!”_

Dr. Chakwas cheery “Good morning, Specialist.”  interrupted her reverie.  “And how are we feeling this morning?”

Samantha had never understood the question, no matter how many times it was directed towards her.  She could only speak for how she felt, and answered with a touch of annoyance, “I am feeling better this morning.  Thirsty.  Hungry.  Gotta pee.”

“Well, let me take a few readings so I can release you for duty,” she responded as she walked over to the bedside and activated her omni-tool.  After several passes front and back, it beeped twice.  Dr. Chakwas checked the results and said, “Heart rate and pressure good, brain activity good.  You’re fit for duty, Samantha.”  Walking back to the cupboards over the sink, she pulled out a thin robe, made apparently from the same thin material as her gown; “This should keep your modesty intact for your walk to the crew quarters,” she said as she brought it over and handed it to Sam.  “I imagine you’ll want to shower before you get dressed.  The clothes I removed when you arrived here have been laundered and returned to your locker.  Slippers are on the floor.”

“Thank you Doctor,” Traynor replied, cautiously swinging her legs over the edge to stand by the bed.

Unlike last time she attempted to get out of this bed, her stomach didn’t complain about the change from lying to sitting to standing.  Feeling cool air on her back, she hurriedly put the robe on as she commented, “I thought you said this gown was custom fitted.  Feels as if some material is missing in back.”  Shoving her feet in the slippers, she cinched the tie on her robe, muttering darkly about dignity and privacy and the lack of same in this room.

“I did say it was a hospital gown, my dear,” Chakwas said with a smile.  “The custom fitting comes from the various ties and fasteners that keep it in place.”

“Never understood why a person’s bum has to be out in the breeze when one is in hospital,” she muttered loud enough for the doctor to hear as she moved towards the exit.

* * *

 **** DECK THREE** • **CREW QUARTERS and SHOWER ****

Samantha quietly walked to the crew quarters and slipped inside.  The lighting was dimmed in the room, as a number of people were still in their beds; her berth was in the far left corner, right next to the aft wall, beyond which the massive engine core and reaction chamber was housed.  She grabbed a cup and filled it with water from the cooler.  Drinking it down only intensified the urge to relieve herself, so she grabbed bath supplies and a uniform from her locker, then hurried back out to the restroom.

As she entered, she took notice of the sound of water from the shower; the identity of the person enjoying an early bath was masked by the kinetic water and privacy barrier across the entrance.  Engaging the door lock, Traynor disrobed and sat on the closest toilet to empty her bladder.  She had always felt uncomfortable sharing the shower with anyone, even since college… it just felt so awkward.  It was not something she could easily avoid on board an Alliance vessel, even one as large and people friendly as the Normandy.  She stood with a sigh (unconsciously noting the toilet performing a short flush), grabbed her bath supplies and said “Hello?”   just to avoid startling the person she was about to join.

“Come on in,” was the reply.  Sam was surprised by the vision in blue she saw as she passed through the barrier.  “Good morning, Samantha.  It’s good to see you up and around again.”

“Thanks.”  Sam answered.  She moved in front of the shower head adjacent to the one pouring water on the asari’s back.  “It’s nice to be back on my feet.”  She glanced at Liara as she turned to face the shower, letting the water splash on her head and face.  She had never seen an asari completely nude, and had occasionally wondered if the patterns of what appeared to be scales on her face and head crest extended down her back and chest.  Not surprisingly, it appeared all of the skin on her body was similarly patterned - arms, back, chest, legs, hips.  As she lathered her hair with shampoo, she wondered if it felt smooth like human skin, or could the texture actually be felt.  She curled her lathered hair on top of her head, then applied body wash to her cloth and began washing her face and neck.  “Ah-h-h,” she groaned and winced as she touched an especially sensitive spot on her left collarbone.  She had to be gentle with her neck and shoulders, as the skin and muscles were still quite sore.

She jumped as a gentle hand touched her left arm.  “By the goddess, Samantha.  Javik really worked you over.”

Traynor turned her head to see Liara examining her shoulders and neck.  “Yeah,” she replied.  “Still sore as ‘ell.”

There was concern in her eyes and her voice as she inquired, “Have you seen yourself in a mirror?”  The hand slid gently around to rest on her breastbone, just below her neck.

“Uh, not yet.  Truth is, I’ve been avoiding doing so,” Sam replied.  “Don’t really want to know how close I was to being whacked.”

“May I?”  Liara held her other hand out, indicating Sam’s washcloth.

Samantha hesitated; she was intrigued by the possibilities, and had no reason for mistrust, so handed the soapy cloth to Liara.  Spreading it across her fingers, Liara tilted Sam’s head back and began gently washing under her chin.  As she worked her way down to Sam’s upper chest, she made use of the soap and water slick skin to allow a friction-free massage of those same areas with her free hand.  She widened her attention to the collarbones, being especially gentle on the left side; she then washed her shoulders and upper arms.  Moving close, Liara reached around under Sam’s arms, causing a catch in her breathing as their breasts touched.  Turning her attention to the back of her neck, Liara continued to wash and massage until Sam laid her cheek on the asari’s shoulder and groaned, “That feels wonderful.  The soreness… the pain is virtually gone.  How did you… ?”

“Biotics can be used for more than defense or assault,” she replied, pulling back and bringing up her hands for Traynor to see.  The light blue glow was just receding as Liara handed the washcloth back to the specialist.  “I have a bit of training in the healing arts of my people.  I’ll let you finish the rest yourself,” she said.  “I think you will find the discoloration of the bruises has lessened considerably, and the remaining soreness should be more manageable as well.”

Sam reached out impulsively, sliding her arms around Liara and pulling her in for a close embrace.  “Thank you, Dr. T’Soni.  I really appreciate your kindness.”  Liara returned the hug, enjoying the feel of the human’s skin against her own body, even as she felt guilty for being unable to do the same with Rachaél.  For her part, Samantha now knew the asari’s skin texture, appearances aside, was quite smooth, but unlike human skin.  It felt more like a fine, expensive leather… soft, pliable, like something one saw in the vids, expensive, unattainable.  She reluctantly released the asari from her grasp as Liara responded, “You’re quite welcome, Sam.”

Finishing her rinse, Liara shut her own shower off, grabbed her towel and soaps and moved towards the kinetic barrier to dry off.  Samantha re-lathered her washcloth and proceeded to finish her own bath as she studied the asari, contemplating the exquisite musculature in her lower back, hips and thighs, the way her crest folded and ended on the back of her neck.  Being on Shepard’s ground teams so often had honed Liara’s body into the equal of any asari commando, with the added bonus of killer biotics.  The specialist felt deep sorrow for the physical loss of Liara’s bondmate.

* * *

 **** DECK THREE** • **PORT SIDE, LIARA’S QUARTERS ****

Liara entered her quarters and turned all the terminal feeds on as she walked back towards her bed.  Shedding the robe, she pulled casual clothing out of her case - panties, a sport bra, socks, pants and tee shirt.  Dressed in her casual clothing (damned if she was going to look like an info broker every minute of every day), she stepped into an old pair of boots.  Hanging the robe in its compartment, she gathered up all the discarded clothing, her towel and washcloth and placed them in a bin to be laundered.

Looking at the auxiliary terminal just outside the partition, it pleased her to note the jumbled data from the previous day had been assembled into something that made more sense.  She scanned through it briefly; seeing nothing that couldn’t wait for another forty-five minutes or so, she said, “Glyph, I’m going to have breakfast.  Look through the data on this terminal… flag anything to which I need to devote immediate attention when I return.”

“As you wish, Dr. T’Soni.”

Picking up the laundry bin, she made her way out of the compartment to the crew’s mess area.

* * *

 **** DECK THREE** • **CREW’S MESS ****

Tali’Zorah walked around the corner after leaving the elevator.  Looking at the people sitting down or standing, some in conversations, some eating breakfast (day shifters), some dinner (night crew), she finally found the one person she was looking for.

Joker sat at the forward of the pair of tables in the dining area.  He liked to sit at the end, his back to the kitchen area, so he’d have only a short distance to hobble (though his walking was continuing to improve) to grab food or coffee.  He was working on a second cup after polishing off a short stack of pancakes, although he thought there might be something more in the mix than water, flour, powdered milk, dried eggs, butter and baking powder.

Tali came up beside him and said, “Joker, would you mind coming down to engineering with me?  I need your input on how to configure a plasma injector I’m rebuilding.”

Joker looked up at Tali and replied, “I’m no engineer, Tali, but sure, I’ll come with you.  Haven’t been down there for some time anyway.  Probably ought to see the power plant every once in a while, just to make sure it’s actually still there.”

“My thinking exactly,” she replied.

Draining his coffee, Joker stood and turned, following the willowy quarian back to the elevator.  Once inside with the doors closed, Tali made a quick move and stopped the car between decks, locking it out against external overrides.  “Tali, what are you… ?”

“This will only take a few minutes, Flight Lieutenant,” she said.  Quickly setting the air scrubbers to maximum, she removed one of her gloves as she turned to face him.  Placing a finger on his lips to stifle the protest, she used her other hand to unlatch and remove her facemask and helmet.  “I believe you were saying you were unlucky a few days ago… something about my facemask?”

Joker felt his heart skip a beat.  He had never seen a quarian unmasked, and Tali appeared to be even more beautiful than he ever could have imagined her.  Medium length raven black hair with translucent magenta streaks framed a pale, oval shaped face with bluish-green skin.  Lush lips, corners slightly turned up in a nervous smile, sat invitingly under a freckle dusted, pixyish nose.  Glowing eyes, the color of pale purple-white opals with hints of jeweled blue and green fire around vertically oriented irises, regarded him as she nervously waited for his reaction.  He managed to croak out, “Damn, Tali.  You… are… beautiful!  Are all the females of your race so gorgeous, or are you the exception?  Is there any hope the rest of your race will ever be able to shed their masks?”

Tali closed the distance between them; reaching behind him with her free hand, she pulled him in close, then reached up and kissed him.  “So, like what you see?”  she smirked, still holding on.  “To answer your second question, yes, at some point in a few years that may be possible.  I cannot speak to your first question; I believe I am a rather average physical example of a quarian female.”

Joker was quite taken aback by this turn of events.  Recovering quickly, he wrapped his own arms tightly around her before she could back further away and returned her kiss, with interest.  “Tali, I really hope you don’t get sick from this experience.  That one was for saving Traynor and me from that crazy-assed Prothean,” Joker said.  “And, if you are going to get sick anyway… ” he trailed off, kissing her again with a bit more passion, reveling in the caress of her wonderfully sensuous lips as she returned the kiss just as passionately.  Easing his arms out from behind her, he said softly, “That one was for me, just because.  And if you’re simply average looking… Tali, male quarians are going to be hard pressed to hang onto the girls on Rannoch!”

Tali responded by gently placing her ungloved hand on his cheek and looking into his eyes.  Bringing her face forward again, she touched her forehead and nose to his and sighed, “It was my pleasure, you bosh’tet.  And don’t worry.  With the scrubbers set so high in such a small compartment, I should be fine.  Of course, you’re perfectly welcome to check up on me in a day or two.”  With a wicked grin, something she must have learned from the commander, she pulled away and began replacing her helmet, mask and gloves.  “By the way, your beard is a bit scratchy.”  Helmet and mask in place, she keyed the elevator controls to continue to engineering.  “Not unpleasant, mind you.  Just… scratchy.”

“Funny.  EDI never complains.”  Joker simply couldn’t resist hugging her again just before the doors opened.  “That turian is one lucky guy, Tali,” he whispered.

“He knows, Joker.  He knows.”

* * *

Samantha Traynor had finished her shower and was now dressed in her standard duty uniform.  She was pleased to note the high collar of the jacket and epaulets mostly hid the bruising on her neck.  Thanks to Liara’s massage in the shower _(‘How could I have been nude and that close to a nude asari without somehow taking advantage of the situation?’_ she wondered to herself), the depth of the bruising appeared to be much less than it had an hour or so earlier.

She was feeling quite hungry by now, and wanted to have a full breakfast before she went on duty.

She didn’t want to sit and eat alone, but she was still a bit of a stranger to most of the people on the ship.  As she rounded the corner on the starboard side of the elevator shaft, she noticed Joker following Tali out to the other side, and Liara coming out of her quarters, heading for the kitchen.

Traynor wanted the asari to join her for breakfast, but thought it might prove a bit awkward after their shower.  Bringing up her omni tool, she sent a text to Steve Cortez, _“Had breakfast yet?”_

She hadn’t expected an immediate reply, but her omni quickly beeped in response.  Pulling up the message, she read _“Not yet.”_

She replied immediately with, _“Join me?  We can sit with Liara.”_

Steve answered, _“Be right up.”_

That settled, she moved towards the kitchen area to see what might be available.  Pancakes looked good.  There was plenty of coffee (or what currently passed for coffee, as the reserves had been totally depleted during the intervening weeks since hostilities ended), and tea.

She placed three pancakes in a stack centered on a plate, grabbed syrup (also suspect), utensils and a steaming mug of tea.  Turning towards the tables, she moved to the closer of the two, setting her meal down in the space just vacated by Joker.  As she sat down, Liara walked up with a mug of tea and a plate full of food.  “May I join you, Specialist?”

“Please do,” she replied, motioning to the space on her left.  As Liara sat and began to eat, Cortez came around the corner.  With a quick wave to Traynor, he headed to the kitchen area for coffee and oatmeal (not too bad, but no raisins).  Bringing his mug and bowl to the table, he took a seat across from Dr. T’Soni.  “Good morning ladies.  How are you doing?”

“We’re both fine, Lieutenant,” Sam answered with a sidelong glance at Liara, who responded by nodding her head in Steve’s direction.

They ate in silence for several minutes, until Cortez paused to take a long sip of liquid from his mug.  Wrinkling his nose at the taste, he commented, “I will be so glad to get back to civilization, even if it _is_ in turian space.”  Taking another sip brought on another wrinkling of his nose.  “There just has to be some real, honest-to-god non-dextro based coffee in that system.  We may have to loot Alliance ship wreckage to find it.”

“I expect all the wreckage, Alliance and turian, will have been stripped for salvageable parts and supplies by the time we arrive, Lieutenant,” Liara said.  “Anything not useable will have been sent to a centralized location for extraction and reuse of raw materials.  They’ll need a planet like Korlus, although I would hope it wouldn’t have the same crime problem.”

Samantha added, “The turians lost a major portion of their fleets, both in defending the home system and the assault on the Reapers in the Sol system.  They will be building ships as fast as they can.”

“Where do we stand on repairs to the relays?”

“Intercepted communications confirm relay repairs in the Trebia system are progressing well,” Liara responded.  “Reapers are assisting with materials manufacturing, and will re-initialize the element zero core once the new containment rings have been reset in their bearings.  Damage to the main arms was minimal, at least on this relay.”  Liara paused to take a sip of tea, then continued.  “The humans were not as fortunate.  The Charon relay suffered more extensive damage, possibly due to the fact it was the first relay to discharge.  The arms were warped, bent and twisted away from each other the total length of the discharge end of the device.  The entire relay will most likely need to be replaced.”

Steve thought about this for a moment, then asked, “Are there any inactive relays that could be used for a replacement, or will an entire relay have to be built from scratch?

Sam responded for Liara.  “Any inactive or dormant relays are tied by their programming to other relays, possibly even active ones not programmed to ‘see’ their dormant mates.  It would be problematic to move an existing relay.  Better to just start over.”

Liara grinned at Sam’s use of the word ‘problematic’.  The only person she had ever known to use that word, to excess, some thought, was Dr. Mordin Solus.

Steve decided to change the subject.  “Have we heard anything on the condition of our resident Prothean?  Did whatsisname, Žiuk’Durmah, get tired of him and space him, or is he getting healed up so he can take another shot at one of us?”

“I think he would ultimately have died without some medical intervention, Steve.  It’s only been three days.  I expect we would have heard something by now if things had gone badly.  We’ll need to wait a few more days,” responded Liara.

“I know Tali was hell-bent on killing him, Liara!  You should have seen her on that platform, kneeling in front of Sam.”  Steve shook his head in amazement as he covered the specialist’s right hand with his left.  “Garrus commented that using his rifle would have been wasting a bullet.  The impact of Tali’s charged shotgun blast at that short range… ” Looking at Sam, Cortez was surprised to see moisture in her eyes.  “Hey, hey… there’s no need to get emotional.  You made it.  Everyone on this ship looks out for everyone else.  You’re no exception, Specialist.”

“Thanks, Lieutenant,” she replied in a shaky voice.  “It’s just… I never had anyone throttle me like that.  Tali got him off of me, yes,” she looked at Liara at this point, “but Shepard was there as well.  I heard her say my name as she was talking to Javik.  Her voice… so full of sadness, regret.”

“Shepard was all over the ship,” Steve replied.  “She was not going to let Javik’s hatred for Reapers get any of us killed.  She was also opposed to him, or any of us, entering Žiuk’Durmah structure.  Unfortunately, Javik forced everyone’s hand.”

“That reminds me, Liara,” Traynor said.  “I asked Shepard if we could move Javik’s quarters to the starboard cargo compartment… get him away from the influence of Grunt’s… residue?  She didn’t say yes, but she was not opposed to the idea, either.  Would you be willing to assist with setup?”

“Of course.  When are you going to work on this?”

“I have to coordinate with Major Alenko,” she replied.  “We hope to have everything done by 17:00 hours today.”

Cortez added, “James and I will be available if there’s any heavy lifting needed.”

“Thanks, Steve.  We’ll be sure to page you.”

Liara excused herself as she got up from the table.  “I’m done eating.  We’ll talk later.”

“I have to get back to the hanger deck myself,” replied Steve.  “Nice talking with both of you.  And Samantha, I’m glad you weren’t more severely injured.”

* * *

 **** DECK THREE** • **SERVER ROOM ****

EDI handed a small pad with hand-written text to Major Alenko as she held her left hand up, revealing a spherical shaped device, glowing and pulsating in concentric rings of alternating red and purple.  »This should allow Commander Shepard to actually accompany us, should the need arise.«

» _How does it work?”_ Alenko wanted to know.

EDI moved to the large board at the front of the compartment.  She quickly wrote, » _It is a drone control, similar to one Kai Leng used on Thessia,_ « then spoke one word: “Observe.”

Holding her hand palm outward in front of her, she activated the device.  A spherical drone, about half the size of Glyph, appeared a half-meter in front of EDI.  Touching two more controls on her palm device resulted in the drone projecting a ghost!  Alenko gasped in surprise as Commander Shepard appeared, standing on the deck in front of him.  Turning to look directly at him, she said, “Hello, Major.  Surprised?”

The apparition in front of him looked exactly as he had last remembered seeing her in her battle dress uniform.  “Alenko?”  She was apparently waiting for an answer.

“Commander.  It is such a surprise, seeing you here.”  Alenko was amazed.  “EDI, how did you pull this off?  It’s an amazing facsimile!”

Shepard’s projection answered for EDI, “Actually Major, it’s not a facsimile at all.  It’s really me, right down to the freckles across my nose.”

EDI continued, “The projection takes an enormous amount of processing power, Major, as you might imagine, but it really is Rachaél Shepard, as she exists in the computer core.  It is obviously a holo-projection, just as the Illusive Man was on Thessia when Kai Leng attempted to kill the ground team there.”

“The power requirements mean I have to move with the drone.”  EDI approached Shepard’s image, then walked right through it.  “Her appearance really begins to degrade if we’re separated by more than about fifteen meters, and I must be in the same room as the drone, or the image begins to pixelate and stutter.

The drone projects the image, but my connection to Shepard in the computer extends into the control in my palm, and is the reason she can look right at you and address you so convincingly.  She ‘sees’ you through my eyes, sensors built into the palm device and positional sensors in the projector.  The audio comes from the projector, but since it is so close to the image, Shepard seems to be speaking.”

Alenko was amazed.  “What about obstacles in the compartment or room?  Can she move around them?”

“As long as I am with her, yes,” EDI responded.  “She sees her environment through my eyes.”

“Have you shown this to Liara?  And, what’s the effective range outside the ship?”

“Not yet.  We wanted to make sure it would work correctly before we presented it to the rest of the crew, particularly Liara,” EDI replied.  “We have run a few late-night practice sessions in the hanger bay, with shipping crates and Vega’s ‘gym’ for obstacles.  The effective range would be nearly the same as my own, pre-Reaper tight-beam range from the Normandy, but as Shepard would be riding my carrier wave, available operational range is diminished; however, we do not foresee assaulting Cerberus strike teams or Reaper creatures.  It will be sufficient.”

“That’s great, EDI.  Just don’t spring this on Liara without some warning.  You should let her know as soon as possible.”  Kaiden checked the time on his Omni tool.  “I have to meet with Specialist Traynor… something about relocating Javik’s quarters to the starboard cargo compartment formerly occupied by Zaeed Massani.”

“Actually, Traynor mentioned relocating Javik’s quarters before she was released from Med Bay,” Shepard said, turning to look at Kaiden as he moved towards the exit.  “She believes he will calm down somewhat if he’s not picking up all the aggressiveness of the krogan formerly domiciled in port cargo.”

“Do you believe it will help, Shepard?”  Kaiden massaged his temples as he looked at Shepard’s projected image.  “Javik has always considered himself above us, ever since you opened his pod on Eden Prime.  I don’t know if simply changing his environment will make any difference in his attitude.”

“It couldn’t get any worse than it already is.  We have the space, and Traynor is making an effort.”

“Alright, I’ll meet with Traynor.  This may all be a moot point, if Javik chooses to stay with this Reaper.”

“Logging you out, Major,” Shepard replied, as EDI terminated the projector drone.

“Time to visit the Shadow Broker, Commander,” EDI said, as she followed Kaiden out of the server compartment.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** I got a bit ahead of my storyline in chapter 12 by having Javik awaken after five days, so I backtracked a bit for this chapter.  _ _Enjoy._


	14. Interlude

_Most discoveries even today are a combination of serendipity and of searching_ – Siddhartha Mukherjee

* * *

 – TWO DAYS BEFORE JAVIK REAWAKENS IN ŽIUK’DURMAH’S CARE –  
*** DECK THREE • PORT SIDE, LIARA’S QUARTERS ***

EDI walked through the crew’s mess area to the Shadow Broker’s port side quarters, where she ‘pinged’ the lock on the door and waited.  “Come in, EDI.”  The virtual lock changed from red to green.

Once inside with the door closed and locked behind her, she approached the terminal in front of the bank of thirty–three video monitors.  Liara sat at the main terminal, with Glyph behind on her right side.  “Anything of interest, Liara,” EDI inquired politely.

“Actually, yes.  The Reapers have almost completed repairs to the containment rings for the Trebia System mass relay.”  Liara squeezed the bridge of her nose between thumb and forefinger.  “I need Shepard to talk to Žiuk’Durmah… find out how much further we have to travel.”

“Did someone say my name?”  Shepard’s avatar appeared in its usual location next to Liara’s secondary terminal outside her sleeping quarters.  “EDI can answer your question, actually.”

“You mean ‘ETA to destination’, correct?” EDI replied.  “We have been traveling at Žiuk’Durmah’s maximum speed for only four days,” EDI explained.  “During that time, we have traversed approximately one fourth of a parsec – about 30.82 trillion kilometers.  The remaining distance is immense, Dr.  T’Soni.  We are so used to having the mass relay network moving us almost instantaneously between systems, we forget the enormity of the distances involved.  We still need to travel about 1.45 KPC to arrive in the Trebia system; we will be a guest of Žiuk’Durmah for several months.”

“The Reapers started repairs on the relays closest to our own systems, EDI,” Liara responded.  “They will have to work their way across the galaxy, out towards the far reaches of the Attican Traverse and the Terminus.  It will take them a number of years to reach every system.”  Liara paused.  Continuing on with her reports, she said, “There are rumors of a number of dormant relays in those regions… relays about which none of the major space–fairing races has any knowledge.  They were not online… are still dormant, so may have been spared being damaged by the blast.”

“In point of fact, every relay in every system in the galaxy took a hit,” Shepard said softly, as if talking to herself.  “The dormant relays all came on line as the beam propagated from their paired relays.  The weapon was designed to kill or control every Reaper and every Reaper created slave in the galaxy.  Choosing synthesis did not keep those relays from self–activating.  They were damaged same as the active relays, and will have gone off–line again.”

“The Rachni may have knowledge of the dormant relays in the Attican Traverse,” EDI interjected.  “If that is the case, they most likely would have chosen not to activate them, rather than risk any further encounters with the salarians or krogan.”

Liara looked around at Rachaél’s projected image as she asked, “How could you possibly know of the dormant relays, Shepard?  Even my own network of agents had no hard data on this subject.”

“I do not have an answer to that question, Liara,” Shepard replied.  “I just… know, and am as certain as I am of my own existence within this vessel.  The longer I remain in the server on this ship, the more I become aware of previously unknown data.  I believe my spiritual self was inundated with massive amounts of information as I rode the wave back home.  I am slowly learning more about everything in the galaxy… every day, more information becomes available to me.”

The lock on Liara’s door pinged.  “It’s Garrus,” Liara said.  Unlocking the door from her console, she beckoned the turian in.  “Garrus, what brings you here today?”

“Ladies, I am glad to find you all here together.”

“What can we do for you, Archangel?”  Shepard asked.

“We have a problem of which you may be unaware.  I have been inspecting food stores for the crew; while it appears supplies of levo–based food are more than adequate to last the duration of our trip home, reserves of dextro–based food are almost down to critical levels.  I believe the supply will be depleted three to five weeks prior to our arrival in my home system.”

“That is not good news, Garrus.”  Shepard paused for a moment, then asked, **“Žiuk’Durmah?  You have been listening?”** Shepard had diminished the volume of her question to the Reaper.  Perhaps it would reply with a lower volume as well.

**_Yes, SHEPARD–NORMANDY.  How may we be of assistance in this matter?_ **

Shepard thought to herself, “Of course it’s listening.  Question is, to just me, or the entire ship,” as she responded, **“Would it be possible to rendezvous with another of your kind… one that has been in the Trebia system?  If we could meet and replenish our food stores, it would enable us to reach the turian home system with everyone still alive.”**

**_I will inquire, SHEPARD–NORMANDY.  Do you require just dextro–based food?  Does the quarian on board require a different style of food than the turian?_ **

“The quarian on board would really enjoy quarian food for a change, Shepard, but Tali can still eat the same stuff I eat,” replied Garrus.  “Something besides survival rations would be greatly appreciated.  Maybe even some turian brandy?  Tali managed to find my last hidden stash day before yesterday – she sucked it dry.  I think the parts of her digestive system affected by synthesis can now somehow mitigate the effects of alcohol.”

“All the Cerberus implants in my body before the final battle made it difficult for me to feel the effects of hard liquor, Garrus.  Can’t see why it’d be any different for Tali... hell, anyone, after synthesis,” was Shepard’s snarky response.  **“Can I assume you heard Garris’s reply as well, Žiuk’Durmah?”**

**_Affirmative, Shepard–Normandy.  Submitting inquiries._ **

**“I have an inquiry for you: why are you listening to what goes on in this ship.  I recall specifically requesting you to refrain from monitoring us.  It feels like we are being spied on.”**

**_It is not our intention to offend.  This repository wishes to… learn._ **

**“I do not understand.  You are a Reaper.  The existence of your entire… race, for lack of a better word, is a byproduct of the construct – the catalyst’s, mandate to obliterate the advanced races of each cycle,”** Shepard responded.  **“Why would you want to ‘learn’ – just so you could perform your task in a more efficient manner?”**

**_As previously stated, my programming, the programming of all Repositories, was rewritten when THE SHEPARD chose to join organics with synthetics.  Before, there was only THE HARVEST.  THE SHEPARD changed us.  We now have free will, with no interference from the catalyst, which was destroyed by THE SHEPARD’s choice.  Every repository still in existence now has organic DNA – your DNA, SHEPARD–NORMANDY – attached to our micro–structures.  Repositories no longer possess the ability to indoctrinate organics… in truth, the imperative to do this has been totally removed from our programming._ **

**_The purpose for this one’s continued existence has been changed, but it is not clear what the new purpose actually is.  As this Repository is unable to resurrect those that were used in my creation, this one chose to learn, as much as possible, about the races of this cycle, so it may assist any organics or synthetics in need of aid… STANDBY…_ **

**_...We have been contacted by a lesser Repository, one that SHEPARD–NORMANDY would refer to as a ‘Destroyer’.  Iringù–Eßizkur just departed the Apien Crest at its maximum FTL speed.  It is carrying supplies to replenish Normandy, including food suitable for turian and quarian races.  Rendezvous will take place in six to seven galactic weeks, well before the dextro–based food stores on the Normandy are exhausted.  It also is bringing a quantity of helium–3.  It is a fuel Normandy requires.  It is not a fuel required by Repositories._ **

**“You have my gratitude, Žiuk’Durmah,”** Shepard replied.  **“Would you tell me the condition of the Prothean inside your structure?”**

**_The one known as Javik continues to heal from his injuries.  We will notify you when he has awakened._ **

**“Please stand by, Žiuk’Durmah.”**

"Thanks Shepard,” Garrus said.  “It’s nice knowing Tali and I won’t starve to death, or worse, die from stomach cramps and puking caused by eating levo–based food.”

“EDI, you must have had a reason to come see me,” the Shadow Broker said, returning her attention to her original visitor.

“Yes, Liara.  Garrus, if you would excuse us?”

“Certainly.  I think I’ll celebrate by eating lunch early today,” Garrus replied as he went to the door.  As the hatch closed behind him, EDI moved to Glyph’s terminal and activated it.  “Shepard, join with me.”

Shepard’s avatar dissolved as EDI entered commands.  Turning to face Liara, she said, “I have been working on this project since just after Shepard returned to the Normandy as part of the computer.  Observe.”  Holding up her left hand, she revealed the same spherical shaped device she had shown to Major Alenko.  “This should allow Commander Shepard to actually accompany us, should the need arise.”

“What is this EDI?”  Liara was feeling uncomfortable.  The device EDI held did not appear much different from the one Kai Leng had used to project an image of the Illusive Man during the Reaper’s assault on Thessia.

“It is a drone control, and yes,” seemingly picking up on Liara’s concerns, “it is similar to the one we saw Kai Leng use on Thessia.  However, this one does not employ dark energy to function.”

Holding her hand palm outward in front of her, she activated the device.  A violet–tinted spherical drone, smaller than Glyph, appeared a half–meter in front of EDI.  Touching two more controls on the device resulted in the drone projecting a ghost! Liara covered her mouth to stifle a gasp as Commander Shepard appeared, standing on the deck in front of her.  Turning to look directly at her, she said, “Hello, Liara.”

“By the goddess, EDI! This is… incredible.  How did you… is this really… Rachaél?”  Liara was absolutely stunned.  Standing, she walked to stand in front of the projection.  “I would never have believed this was possible, EDI.”  To the projection she remarked, “You still have freckles across your nose!”

“It is not intended to be a perfect representation of the commander.  There are limitations.”  EDI paused, before continuing her explanation.  “As you can see, the image has a tendency to pixelate.  It will fill with static and disappear altogether if we are separated by a bulkhead or wall; clear view range is approximately fifteen meters.”

“This will allow me to accompany EDI away from the Normandy… ” Shepard said, as she walked through Liara towards Liara’s sleeping area and returned to stand in front of her.  “… just as she was able to accompany ground teams when we were still fighting the Reapers.  Only difference, I cannot hold a gun or employ biotics.”

“This is incredible, Shepard.  I never dreamed I would be able to see you...interact with you again, even as an image generated by a drone.”  Liara said in a shaky voice.  “EDI, is it possible Cronos Station survived the Alliance assault after we left?  Is it possible there is another clone body of Shepard inside?”

“Unknown, Liara,” EDI answered.  “Once we had the information from the Vendetta VI and could leave, there was no real need to destroy the station.  However, the Alliance may very well have destroyed it, simply to avoid having to engage any Cerberus forces left behind.”  EDI paused to contemplate as she shifted her weight and placed a hand on her hip.  “If we were to discover another cloned body, we would most likely need to enlist the services of Miranda Lawson to integrate Shepard’s mind in the Normandy computer core, with the brain of said clone.”

“I don’t know, EDI,” Shepard smirked; the facial expression caused Liara to smile.  “I think we did a damn good job of clearing the station of hostiles when we went through it.”  She continued as she turned to face Liara, “Make some discrete inquiries anyway, Shadow Broker.  We also need to know the status of the Mass Relays in the Apien Crest, the Widow System and Local Cluster.”

“Consider it done, Commander.  Perhaps you can ask Žiuk’Durmah to relay the question about Cronos Station to Reapers… uh… Repositories,” Liara corrected herself, emphasizing the syllables, “further out past the Local Cluster.  The Horse Head Nebula is a two–relay jump from Charon.  Perhaps news from the Exodus Cluster will include any news from that nebula?”

**“Žiuk’Durmah?  Any reports from the systems we just discussed?”**

**_The information is not what you may wish to hear, Shepard–Normandy.  As surmised, the relay you refer to as Charon was extensively damaged when it discharged the energy wave.  The Element Zero containment rings were overloaded, shattering from the stress; replacements are being manufactured.  Additionally, the arms were twisted along their longitudinal axis when the relay fired, preventing new rings from easily being set in the bearings.  As Charon is a prime relay, specifications for its construction are several orders higher in complexity than would be required for a secondary relay.  My brethren are engaged in its reconstruction, but it is a massive undertaking._ **

**“I always believed the quantum shielding for these things would prevent the type and quantity of damage you have described.”**

**_The energy wave generated by the Crucible, joined as it was with the Catalyst, was immense; the relays were created to accelerate and decelerate space–faring vessels, and have been doing so for millennia.  The quantum shielding you reference was not sufficient to protect the structure from this type of abuse, just as it could not prevent the destruction of the Alpha Relay when an asteroid collided with it.  The relays were never designed to survive the successful firing of any weapon as immense as the Crucible.  If The Shepard had chosen to destroy or control us, damage to the relays would have been just as severe.  I have sent inquiries regarding the Cerberus station.  Should the station still exist, we will attempt to locate the human female, Miranda Lawson._ **

**“She would have been in the Sol system at the time the Crucible was activated,”** Shepard said.

**_We believe First One… Harbinger, is familiar with this human.  Her specifications will be shared with the lesser Repositories working on your planet.  If she survived there, she will be found._ **

**“Do you have any information on survivors of the final assault against the Reapers in the Sol System?  Did Admiral Hackett survive?  He would be with the Alliance Fifth Fleet, most likely on the SSV Orizaba.”**

**_There is no data regarding the fate of the human fleets or of the human of whom you speak.  We will attempt to learn as much as possible, if that is your wish, Shepard–Normandy._ **

**“Surreptitiously, Žiuk’Durmah.  Make all inquiries as covert as possible, including those regarding Cronos Station.  I do not wish to have Normandy’s survival revealed to the galactic community until after we reach the Apien Crest.”**

**_It will be done as you request, Shepard–Normandy.  The fate of Shepard–Normandy… the fate of the frigate named Normandy, is unknown by anyone in the Systems Alliance, Turian Hierarchy, Asari High Command, or the Salarian Union, to name the four most prominent of the species engaged in looking for the vessel and its crew.  The Batarian Hegemony has even made inquires into this matter._ **

**“I’ll just bet they have,”** Shepard retorted.

**_The Systems Alliance has been most active in searching for any trace of the frigate named Normandy.  They have concentrated their efforts in the areas surrounding the Arcturus Stream and Exodus Cluster.  As the relays in those two systems are all damaged and inoperable, the Alliance fleets are trapped there until repairs have been completed._ **

**_The leaders of the Alliance believe that Normandy’s guidance systems were locked to one of these two systems; as these were the rendezvous locations for all Alliance vessels leaving the Sol system, the belief is the vessel must be there, somewhere, within many millions of kilometers of space.  A vessel the size of the Normandy would be a cold object if its systems were offline or nearly powered down, thus difficult to detect unless the vessel conducting the search collided with it.  That the energy wave sent you out here is an anomaly we do not understand._ **

**“The majority of the fleet ships managed to go through the Charon relay prior to the damage caused by the beam.  The Normandy did not get to FTL fast enough, and was enveloped by the wave front when the Crucible discharged, thus preventing use of the relay.  We were thrown in a different direction, and are fortunate to have not been thrown totally clear of the galaxy.”**

**_So the search for Normandy is not being conducted in the correct location?  We will send inquiries as you requested, and will refrain from revealing the existence of Normandy._ **

**“Thank you, Žiuk’Durmah.  Logging you out.”**

Liara wanted to know, “What is your purpose in not revealing Normandy’s survival, Commander?  I am sure a great number of people would be happy to hear we survived and are on our way back.”

“I don’t have a reason, Liara… just a general sense of concern… of uneasiness.  Having the galactic community aware this ship still exists, the entire crew still alive?”  Shepard’s projected image paced the length of the compartment, just as she would if she were still flesh and blood.  “If Admiral Hackett is still alive, I would like to arrange a meeting with him, on board the Normandy, once we have returned to turian space.  I will need to give him a report in person… ” here she paused, looking down at her image, “… otherwise, I fear he would dismiss as a cruel hoax all that has happened to me, to this ship, since the Crucible fired.  He will not be able to deny the continued existence of the ship, of course.  I just don’t want him to deny my continued existence, something he may be inclined to do if unable to greet me ‘in person’.  Like Garrus, he may need some additional proof it’s really Commander Shepard”.

“I would like to be included in that meeting, Rachaél,” Liara said quietly.  “I can think of no reason for him to doubt the Shadow Broker.”

“I wish to be included as well, Commander.”  EDI smiled.  “Actually, for him to meet with you in person, as this projection, I will have to be in attendance, is that not correct?”

Shepard smiled.  “Let’s go see how Traynor and Kaiden are managing with their project, EDI.  Talk to you later, Liara.”

She walked to the door, which unlocked and swished open at her approach.  EDI dissolved Shepard’s image as she continued out to the passageway next to the crew mess area, leaving just the drone to precede EDI to the elevator.

* * *

* ARCTURUS STREAM • L5 LAGRANGIAN POINT of THEMIS *  
* SSV ORIZABA • WAR ROOM *

Admiral Steven Hackett not a happy man.  The remnants of the Alliance Fifth Fleet, along with a number of turian and quarian warships, were stuck in the Arcturus System, unable to leave Arcturus Stream until repairs to the relay (not even started yet) could be accomplished.  Several Alliance frigates and the asari cruiser Cybaen had left Arcturus for the Euler system in an effort to assist the remaining colonists on Benning.  Reports received from them were discouraging.  A pre–invasion population of 2.5 million people had been reduced to a large number of groups of people, scattered widely across the planet.  There were perhaps a million or so people left on Benning, all desperately in need of assistance.

Hackett had been overseeing fleet salvage operations of the remains of Arcturus Station.  There were no words to describe the extent of the destruction of what had once been the home to the Systems Alliance Parliament.  Over 45,000 people had lost their lives when the Reapers cut the station to pieces.  The remaining chunks of the station… the metal alloys and high–tensile synthetic sections… appeared to be the result of a trip through an enormous shredder.  Salvage teams had worked around the clock, scanning for and retrieving escape pods first.  Many of these proved to be empty, having been automatically jettisoned when the station exploded.  The few recovered pods containing organic remains may as well have been empty, being devoid of life.  Other teams were recovering bodies drifting in space, a task not suited to the squeamish when so many were missing arms or legs or had been cut in half; those pieces were out there as well, just harder to locate.  Some were fused to chunks from the station and could not be separated.

All of the organic remains had been freeze–dried, and had to be placed in refrigerated storage once back on board a rescue vessel.  The capacity to do this had become strained until a grizzled old gunnery chief had set aside several cargo compartments for storage of the remains.  He had cleared the compartments of air, then vented them to space.  It was an inconvenience to have to enter and exit via airlock and work in pressure suits, but the storage problem had been solved, and using the near absolute zero temperature outside the ship to maintain the refrigeration of the remains used no energy.  Given all the difficulties, the recovery efforts overall had been proceeding smoothly until ten minutes ago.

Several Sovereign class and twenty smaller, destroyer class Reapers had jumped into the system from FTL, random streaks of energy wreathing them in blue fire.  Ignoring the Alliance ships near the destroyed space station, they headed for the broken remains of the mass relay.  The Orizaba’s captain sounded general quarters for the fleet, and was now standing just inside the door to the war room.  “Admiral… ”

"I know, Captain,” Hackett responded, in a voice as tired as he felt.  “Have they made any hostile moves?  Any attempt at communication?”

“No Sir.  Their attention is directed at the mass relay.”

Hackett addressed the technician across the display well.  “Ensign, bring up tactical, close view of the relay.”

The display of the debris field around them dissolved into a graphical view of the relay.  The Sovereign class Reapers were apparently inspecting the relay, with a fourth standing off on the far side, seemingly observing.  Several Destroyers were crawling over and around the relay structure, while the remainder were running… _”Damn! That’s a standard search pattern, except in three dimensions!”_ Hackett thought to himself, then asked the captain, “What the hell are they looking for?”

“Admiral, searchers were in contact with those nearest the eezo ring structure on the relay.  They may be looking for the remnants of the containment rings,” the captain offered.  “Did our people find any trace of them?”

“If they did, it was not brought to my attention,” Hackett replied, one hand on his chin.  “Our focus has been on retrieving the remains of our people, and any hardware related to the computer cores.”

“…and the Normandy, Admiral?”

“Yes, there is the question of what happened to the Normandy and her crew,” Hackett replied, half to himself.  “I will not sleep well until I know the answer, one way or the other.  As for these Reapers… ” he motioned to the display before him.  “… they do not appear to have any interest in our presence here.  All of them have their weapons ports closed.  Have any of our vessels approached them?”

“No, Admiral.  Consensus among all our fleet leadership was unanimous: it is in our best interests simply to stay out of their way.  No good can come from provoking them.”

“Contact the captain of the Hong Kong II.  Ask him if he would be willing to move, in a non–belligerent manner, towards the Sovereign class Reaper standing alone on the far side of the relay.  Tell him to initiate a mini–jump away if it threatens his ship.  Let’s see how it reacts.”

“Aye–aye sir.”


	15. The Search For Answers

_As for courage and will - we cannot measure how much of each lies within us; we can only trust there will be sufficient to carry through trials which may lie ahead_ \- Andre Norton

* * *

*** ARCTURUS STREAM • L5 LAGRANGIAN POINT of THEMIS ***   
*** SSV Hong Kong II • CIC & WAR ROOM ***

Captain William J.  Cody (known as ‘Wild Bill’ by his closest friends) looked at the young ensign on the other side of the CIC projector well.  “The admiral wants me to do what?”

“He asked if you would approach the Reaper standing off on the other side of the relay, in a non-belligerent manner,” repeated the nervous ensign.  “It came in the form of a request, and he added an order to be ready to make a mini-FTL jump away if the Reaper threatens the ship.”

Cody rubbed the side of his face, then cupped his chin in his hand as he thought about what the message said, and (perhaps more importantly) did not say.  ‘Non-belligerent’ meant weapons powered off.  Did that also mean barriers down?  Cody sighed.  Nothing about this situation made any sense.  Touching the comm link in his right ear, he said softly, “Helm.  Plot a course that will take us past the relay and put us in the vicinity of the Reaper on the far side.  Standoff distance 9400 kilometers.”

“Aye-aye, Sir”

Cody continued, “Engage thrusters when ready helm, then plot an FTL-mini jump that will get us out of harm’s way should our close proximity be interpreted as an unfriendly gesture.  Course Negative ‘Z’, then back to halfway from our current position.  Inertial dampeners set to 100%.”

Without waiting for acknowledgement, he keyed the PA system.  “General quarters are still in effect.  All DC teams to stations.  All compartment hatches sealed.  Operations Chiefs, get the ship squared away for heavy evasive.  XO to the war room.”

Cody walked to the door, waved his omni tool at the lock, then entered the short hallway once the door had opened.  He waited, back against the bulkhead, until Staff Commander Yuán Xiùlán entered the hallway.  “Cap’n?  Sitrep?”

As the door swished closed and locked behind them, Cody filled Yuán in on all he knew and did not know about their new assignment.  “Sounds as if the admiral is feeding us to the wolves, sir,” was the commander’s only comment.

“Possibly,” replied the captain, “but we were asked, not ordered.  I don’t think the admiral wants us to get into a pissing match with something that outguns us so heavily.”

“Do you think Shepard’s choice at the Citadel is why they now ignore us,” Xiùlán asked?

“Has to be.  She didn’t destroy them, obviously.  There must have been a reason for her actions.  Is the greenish glow in our eyes and the traces of circuitry under our skin a result of those actions?  What happened to her when the Citadel fired the beam?  What about the fighting on Earth?  Why did she destroy the relays?  There are so many questions only Shepard or the crew of the Normandy can answer,” Cody responded. 

“We cannot even locate the Normandy.  No wreckage.  No tattletale from their transponder.  No crash beacon.  There should be something, some trace, some debris.  It has been weeks now with no information.  Until we can get back to the Sol system, it would appear unanswered questions are all we will have.”

Commander Yuán touched several controls on the terminal at the projection well.  A graphical representation of the relay came up, showing the Reapers crawling around the arms and the one lone Sovereign class Reaper standing off, as if guarding the structure.  The perspective kept shifting as the Hong Kong II continued to close the distance between them.  “Are we really going to park within 9400 clicks of that thing, Sir?”

“We’ll see, Commander,” Cody replied.  “It may well blow us out of the sky before we’re within 15,000.”

* * *

***** SSV NORMANDY DECK FOUR • CARGO AREA *****

The deck four passageway outside the elevator had become a hub of activity, as Alenko directed the relocation of all the equipment and stores inside port cargo to starboard cargo.  There were several crew members, being directed by Lieutenants Vega, Cortez, and Specialist Traynor, engaged in moving containers to the compartment on the other side of the ship.  Major Alenko had saved the two basins until last, as he intended to move these with biotics.  There really were not a lot of items to be moved.

Alenko moved to the basin on the inboard side of the compartment and studied for a minute while he thought about the best way to approach it.  Deciding to deal with it from one end, he stretched out one arm, which became wreathed in ever-shifting waves of blue energy.  Applying a bit of force to the basin resulted in a bubble surrounding it, negating its weight until it started to float above the deck plating.  Alenko kept it at about six to seven centimeters high - he didn’t want to have it go far if it needed to be dropped suddenly.

Being careful to keep it level, Kaiden moved his load in a sideways arc; pointing the far end towards the open hatch, he walked in that direction with the basin hovering in front of him.  He shouted, “Clear the passageway.  Make a hole,” as he moved sideways to his right, lining the lengthy load up with the door.  Seeing the hallway clear, he started through the door just as EDI opened the elevator door and stepped out of the car.

“EDI! Move!” was all Alenko had time to say.  EDI’s jumped backwards into the space she’d just vacated just in time to keep from being hit by the front of Kaiden’s lengthy load.

“Sorry, Major.  Someone should have locked this door out.”

“That’s okay, EDI,” Alenko answered as he eased past the open elevator.  “No harm done.  Didn’t even slosh the water, er… liquid, whatever it is.”  He continued down the hallway, then slowed as he maneuvered the load past the doorway and into the starboard side compartment.  Lieutenant Cortez used hand signals to show where the basin needed to be placed; Kaiden reached the spot indicated, prompting Steve to mime a slicing motion across his throat with the fingers of both hands.  Alenko gratefully set down his burden without spilling a drop.

“Damn! I bet Vega would have been able to move that thing without breaking a sweat,” Kaiden said in a tired voice.  “Maybe I’ll have you… ” motioning to Cortez, “… and Vega do the pushing and pulling on the other one.  Won’t be as strenuous if I simply lift it.  Having to keep it suspended and moving it too?  It’s a bit much.  I’m surprised my nose isn’t bleeding.”

Specialist Samantha Traynor walked up to Kaiden and saluted.  “Perhaps we should have Dr. T’Soni come down here to inspect our work.  She has more knowledge of Protheans than any of us.”

Kaiden rubbed the back of his neck and replied, “I think we’ve got things well in hand, Specialist.  There’s only so much space in there, and all the equipment has been moved with the exception of the second liquid basin.  I don’t think there is any difference in the two.  We may have just been flogging a dead horse anyway.”

“Why ever would one want to beat a dead horse?  Doesn’t sound very nice.”

Kaiden suppressed a chuckle.  “Old Earth slang, Specialist.  It may have originated in England, actually, just over three centuries ago.  In this case with Javik, I’m just saying he may choose to stay with the Reaper, Žiuk’Durmah, rather than return to an uncertain future with all the primitives on this ship.  That would make our little exercise here today entirely futile, not unlike… ”

“… beating a dead horse, expecting him to pull a load,” Samantha finished for him.  “I cannot imagine Javik staying with the Reaper, Sir.  Despite his attempt on my life, I wouldn’t want to see ‘im exiled.  If it’s his choice, then so be it.  I would like to talk to him, in the Reaper, so I can watch his eyes.  His eyes will tell me if he is lying, Major.”

“We’ll see what we can do, Samantha,” Kaiden replied as he turned to talk to James.  “Mr Vega?”

“Just wanted to report, Sir.  We have all the cargo swapped between the two compartments, and the bug’s… er, Javik’s personal effects are all stowed in the starboard compartment.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant,” Alenko replied.  “You may dismiss your crew for dinner, and you are dismissed as well.  Good job, everyone.”

* * *

*** SSV Hong Kong II • WAR ROOM and QEC ***

Staff Commander Yuán Xiùlán continued to monitor the situation as the Hong Kong II maintained its approach to the Reaper standing off from the others crawling over the relay.  They were now within 20,000 Km, and still no response.  It was as if the Reaper didn’t consider their approach worthy of even a glance.  19,000 Km.  Still nothing.

Yuán could feel the ships attitude changing under her feet as the helmsman swung the frigate into an arc that would bring them within the 9400 Km distance specified by Captain Cody.  They were slowing down as well.  Inertial dampeners were good, especially on a ship this new, but there was always a slight lag in effect.  She kept watching the decreasing numbers representing the distance between them.  17,500 Km.  17,000 Km.  “Captain to the War Room,” Yuán called on the PA.

As the distance hit 15,000 Km, Cody entered the War Room.  Moving to stand beside his XO, he leaned on the rail and asked, “Situation?”

“We’re approaching to within… ” she paused to recheck the readouts, “… just over 13,500 Km, Captain.  We’re changing course for a tactical placement advantage and decelerating, preparing to stop at 9400 Km.”

Cody touched his ear mounted comm link and said, “Helm, plot a course to orbit the Reaper at a 9400 kilometer distance.  I don’t want us stopped dead in space that close to the metal monster, and I don’t want you to have to roll and 180 in order to perform an escape jump; initiate a continuous rotation of the ship on its orbital track so we’re prepared to perform a straight-line exit break from orbit.”

“Helm, aye-aye Sir.”

They had approached within 9600 Km of the Reaper when alarms began sounding.  The Reaper had erected its kinetic barriers, rolled, and yawed to more or less face them as they approached.  The arms remained in their ‘transit’ position, which seemed to indicate it was not going to fire its main weapon.

“Shields, Captain?”  Yuán asked nervously.

“No.  We have its attention, but not its ire, yet.”  Cody pulled on his lower lip with thumb and forefinger as he thought.  “I’d like to get it to talk to us.”

 ** _ALLIANCE_** ** _FRIGATE HONG KONG_**.  The sound reverberated within the hull - deep, echoing, as if hundreds of voices were speaking at once.  **_WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF YOUR APPROACH?_**

Cody snarked, “Ask and ye shall receive,” as he motioned for Xiùlán to follow him into the QEC compartment.  At the railing, he entered a series of commands that he hoped would allow him to talk to the Reaper.  As he set up a repeat sequence that would send the entire exchange, for good or bad, to the QEC terminal on board the Orizaba, he touched his comm link and, speaking quietly, told the communications ensign to alert Admiral Hackett regarding his actions.

Neither Yuán nor Cody was prepared for what came next.  An apparition resolved within the communication well of the QEC - an electronic 3D image of the Reaper appeared, as if standing on the tips of its arms, its tail behind and above, high enough and far enough back on the pad that it faded in and out.

“I am William Cody, captain of the Hong Kong II.  This is my executive officer, Staff Commander Yuán Xiùlán.  Would it be possible for you to lower the volume of your speech?  It’s setting off collision alarms all over my ship.”

**_WE ARE ESIZ’QÜR.  We will comply.  Repeating inquiry.  What is the purpose of your approach?_ **

“We are curious.  We wish to know what brings you and your… companions to this system.  You seem to be searching for… something.”

**_The lesser Repositories, those your kind would name ‘Destroyers’, are searching for any remnants of the element zero containment rings, shattered as a result of THE SHEPARD’S choice to employ synthesis to halt THE HARVEST._ **

“Wait a minute,” Cody said.  Taking a deep breath, he continued, “You said ‘Shepard’.  Is she responsible for the damage to this relay?”

**_THE SHEPARD activated the weapon - the Crucible - to end THE HARVEST.  Docked with the catalyst - the Citadel, the weapon summoned dark energy from our realm.  That energy of and by itself was insufficient to create synthesis.  THE SHEPARD entered the energy beam, added her own energy to that of the catalyst.  This caused the buildup and discharge of the beam; her DNA became the template for joining us.  Synthetics now have organic DNA, THE SHEPARD’s DNA, attached to their microstructures.  Organics now have synthetic nanoparticles, also part of THE SHEPARD, attached to their DNA.  This resulted in major damage to every relay in the galaxy._ **

“Is Commander Shepard still alive?”  Xiùlán wanted to know.  “What happened after she entered the beam?”

**_THE SHEPARD died when she added her DNA and synthetic implants to the energy.  We… regret that the choice she made resulted in the termination of her life as you know it._ **

“Dead?”  Tears welled up in Yuán’s eyes and threatened to spill over onto her cheeks.  “Dead?  She united a galaxy, every space faring race out there, to fight you and your kind.”  Swallowing hard to get her emotions back in check, she asked, “How is it you and these other abominations live, and she… is dead?”

**_THE SHEPARD was already dying from her physical injuries.  Her team was injured.  She had them retrieved and evacuated.  The other options presented to THE SHEPARD would also have resulted in her death.  She could have controlled us, directed us, all synthetics including geth, to do her bidding.  She rejected this outcome.  Destruction of Reapers was also a choice she rejected.  Destruction would have terminated every synthetic in the galaxy.  Geth would be dead, not just neutralized.  Repositories, what you refer to as Reapers, would be dead.  The AI controlling the Citadel, the catalyst, would have died.  The relays would have been totally destroyed, not just damaged.  She found all of these choices abhorrent._ **

Cody looked at Xiùlán, who was making a tremendous effort to not break down in front of her captain and this synthetic bastard, then back to the image.  “You keep referring to her as ‘the Shepard’.  Why?”

**_She was a very special organic, an extraordinary human.  In the billions of years of our existence, we have never encountered a being such as THE SHEPARD.  She was an anomaly, the only organic to enter the control station on the Citadel during a harvest.  The choice she made was not foreseen by any.  Her existence, her sacrifice for all of us, will be remembered by all.  It will be honored by all._ **

Cody inquired, “So, what is your intention in this system, Reap… Esiz’Qür?”

**_We have been charged by First One, the Repository you know as Harbinger, to repair the relay system so it may again be safely used by vessels such as yours.  Repairs on the relay in the Trebia System are nearly complete.  Repairs to the Charon relay in the Sol system are proceeding.  As Charon was the first to be used by the energy wave, damages were more severe.  In addition to the containment rings being shattered, the legs were twisted, resulting in non-alignment of the bearing surfaces._ **

Xiùlán had collected herself enough to ask, “Do you know what happened to SSV Normandy?  No one has heard from the ship or its crew since the Crucible fired.  It was Shepard’s ship.  Surely you must have some knowledge of where it may be found.”

**_There are rumors the vessel you ask of may have been engulfed in the wave of Crucible generated energy.  It is known that Normandy did not transit the Charon relay before the beam destroyed the containment rings.  There is no other data available.  The ship, if still intact, would be difficult to detect unless a destination vector was available.  Inquiries will be sent._ **

Yuán looked at Cody and said sadly, “This day just keeps getting better and better!”

**_For your own safety, do not approach the relay.  Repositories will be re-initializing quantum barriers within one standard cycle.  New containment rings for the element zero core must be manufactured and installed.  If you discover any fragments of the shattered rings in the debris field of Arcturus Station, do not attempt to retrieve them - the metal will be extremely radioactive, a significant danger to unshielded organics.  A signal to this Repository will be answered.  Lesser Repositories will recover any pieces discovered.  Logging you out._ **

The virtual Reaper in the QEC dissolved.  Cody reflected on all he had just learned, then activated his comm link and said, “Helm.  Set course and head for the Orizaba, best speed.  I need to talk to the admiral.”

“Aye-aye, Sir.”

“You okay?”  Cody placed his hand on Xiùlán’s shoulder.  “We didn’t get the news we wanted, Commander, but at least we have a better understanding of what happened and why.”

Yuán thought for a moment before answering, “I thought I was prepared, ya know?  I thought _‘there was no way in hell Shepard made it out’_ but I never expected a bloody Reaper to inform me… us, that Shepard had given her last full measure.”  The tears were threatening to overflow again.  “It’s not right, sir.  It’s… just… not… right.  I followed her career.  Hell, I’m only a few years behind her.”  Her voice broke as she added, “I’m no N7… could barely pass the exams for N5.”

“Were you jealous of her success, Xiùlán?”

“You’re kidding, right?  I could never be as good as Shepard, but I was never jealous of her abilities, her accomplishments.  She united the entire galaxy, Sir.  Against the wishes of the ‘heads up their asses’ council, she saved the Rachni, not once, but twice!

She used Cerberus to stop the Collectors, then turned on the Illusive Man and almost single-handedly wiped out the entire organization.  She was instrumental in curing the genophage… ”

“… the salarians would have had her head for that, you know,” Cody said, smiling.

“She gave the krogan a chance to live again, sir,” she protested.  “I’m just saying, she gave everything she had, not just for humanity, but for the galaxy.  You heard what the Reaper called her?  Not simply Shepard or even Commander Shepard.  It called her ‘THE SHEPARD’, as if she was a divine being.”

Yuán continued as she wiped her eyes, “She was a good person, Sir, and all she ever got for her efforts was a bunch of crap.  If we get the chance, I would dearly love to visit with her crew on the Normandy.  I understand she had bonded with an asari on board.  I want to talk to her, learn from her.  I’ll never understand Shepard’s motivations, but I will continue to try, and I will attempt to live my life and serve the Alliance guided by her values, Sir.  I owe her that much.”

“You’re presuming the Normandy is still in one piece, Xiùlán.  And you don’t owe Shepard anything.  Emulate her if you will, but I think you’re a fine example of a human, and a damned fine Staff Commander.  The only person you have to please is the one looking back at you in the mirror each morning.”

Cody’s expression turned grim.  “I don’t like how Shepard was dumped on either, by the council or the Alliance brass.  The only two officers with the guts to stick up for her were Hackett and Anderson.  Anderson’s dead now as well… killed in the final push to the beam in London, I hear.  Go change your clothes,” Cody continued.  “Dress blues.  We’ll see what Hackett has to say about our little conversation with Esiz’Qür.”

Aye-aye, Sir.”

Touching his comm link one more time, he said over the PA, “Stand down from general quarters.  Compartment doors can be unsealed.  DC teams may stand down as well.  We can relax for a bit.”

* * *

_**A/N:** The **Hong Kong II** is a frigate I envision as being of similar design to the **Normandy SR-2** , (as Bioware never let us see the innards of any of the other Alliance vessels, not even the frigates based on Alliance designs); it was constructed in 2186 to replace the original vessel of the same name._


	16. Javik’s Opinion Fractures a Friendship

_Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to the cemetery -_ Malcolm X · · · _  
_**Javik Gets a Surprise.  EDI and Traynor don't see eye-to-eye.  Liara sticks her foot in her mouth and regrets the consequences.**

* * *

*** NORMANDY DECK THREE • STARBOARD SIDE, SERVER COMPARTMENT***

Shepard needed to talk to Kaiden, EDI, Liara and Specialist Traynor.  She messaged each person she needed through their Omni-tools: “Meet me in the server room.”

EDI arrived first.  Shepard asked her to join her in the server. _“EDI, Žiuk’Durmah has informed me that Javik’s burns and wounds have been healed, and he can return to the Normandy.  The question is, do we want him back on the Normandy?  Does the crew want him to rejoin us?”_

_"The answer to that would depend on Javik’s willingness to rejoin us.  It would also depend on Samantha Traynor’s willingness to forgive him for attacking her.  She did have to spend an evening as a guest of Dr. Chakwas.  On the other hand, several crew members and Major Alenko relocated Javik’s personal effects to starboard cargo.  It may help to diminish his belligerent attitude.”_

EDI turned as the door opened.  Liara entered first, followed by Kaiden.  EDI shut Shepard’s video and audio feeds off as Alenko asked, “What’s up, EDI?”

EDI responded by holding out pads and styli on which a question had already been written for each of them.   **»** _Javik is healed.  do we want him back on the ship?_ **«**

Liara responded first with,   **»** _yes.  why is this even an issue?_ **«**

Kaiden took a bit more time to respond.   **»** _can we see javik?  speak to him?_ **«**

EDI was relaying all to Shepard as she read their pads.   _“Tell Kaiden we can send three crew members to Javik’s location,”_ Shepard responded. _“Žiuk’Durmah will provide the shuttle – a bubble similar to what he used to transport Javik.”_  She continued, _“Tell Liara I do not wish to leave Javik on this Reaper.”_

EDI wrote the commander’s responses on the board at the front of the compartment.  Additionally, Shepard wanted Samantha Traynor included as one of the team members.

Kaiden wrote, **»** _when do we go over?  who else goes?_ **«**

EDI had the answer ready.   **»** _Liara.  Myself.  Specialist Traynor.  We cannot bring weapons, and the chambers we will enter are biotic dead zones.  I will be bringing this as well._ **«**  EDI held her left hand up, revealing the projector control, still glowing and pulsating in red and purple concentric rings.   **»** _This will allow Commander Shepard to accompany us._ «

The door lock pinged twice.  EDI smiled at the impatience of the person seeking admittance.  “I believe Samantha Traynor has arrived.”

EDI released the door lock with her omni tool, allowing Traynor to enter.  “Sorry I’m late.”  She took the pro-offered tablet, looked at the question written there and wrote on the board.   **»** _We need to talk to him.  I don’t want to always be looking over my shoulder, wondering if something has set ‘im off again_ **«**

Alenko replied, “You’re on the team, Specialist.  Gear up, then report to the port side airlock.”

The group moved to the door.  Alenko paused, then faced EDI.  “Keep the team and yourself safe, EDI.  I am not comfortable letting you leave the _Normandy_ to enter the Reaper structure.  Since there will be no weapons or biotics allowed, I believe the risks will be negligible. Still, be careful.”

As the group left through Med Bay and moved towards the elevator, Sam made a detour for her quarters.  “You guys go ahead.  I’ll catch up.”

Liara said, “I’ll meet you back here, Specialist.  I have to check my info feeds before we leave.”

EDI said, “We’ll wait for you at the airlock,” then entered the elevator with Kaiden.

* * *

  *** ARCTURUS STREAM • L5 LAGRANGIAN POINT of THEMIS ***  
*** SSV ORIZABA • ADMIRAL HACKETT’s PRIVATE SUITE ***

Their armed escort paused at the door; each Marine then spun a quarter turn to face the other as they assumed positions on either side of the door.  The virtual lock changed from red to green as Captain William Cody and Staff Commander Yuán Xiùlán approached.  The door swished open, revealing Fleet Admiral Steven Hackett standing just inside.  After returning their salutes, he offered his hand to each of them.  “Welcome, both of you.  Come in, come in.  We have a lot to discuss.”  Waving them to a pair of leather upholstered chairs positioned beside his desk, he sat down in his own chair and leaned back.  Grabbing a data pad from among several lined up neatly on one side, he glanced at it briefly, then looked at Cody. “The conversation you had with this Reaper, Esiz’Qür?  First, and most importantly…” glancing at the commander as he spoke, “…you both did a superb job in a difficult situation, as did your crew.  The information we gained answered some difficult questions concerning the final moments before the Catalyst fired.”

Pausing to glance at the data pad once more, he set it on the desk in front of him and continued.  “Obviously, we all knew Commander Shepard’s fate was virtually sealed the moment she entered the beam in London.  That knowledge certainly doesn’t make learning exactly how she died any easier to accept.  I always believed she would find a way to somehow survive so she could be here with the rest of us to help celebrate our… her… victory.”

“Permission to speak freely, sir?” Xiùlán asked.

“There’s just the three of us here, Commander,” Hackett replied.  “I will gladly listen to whatever either of you feel the need to say, good, bad or indifferent.  All I ask is you be honest with me.”

“Thank you, Sir,” Xiùlán said softly.  “I never had the pleasure… the honor, of meeting her in person.  Even without knowing her on a personal level, I am convinced that once she was on the Citadel, all her options lead to the same end.  The impression I got from the Reaper was Shepard wanted to live, but the die was cast the second she entered the Citadel.”

“Esiz’Qür and the rest of those bastards all believe she was a divine being.  That is the reason they refer to her as ‘The Shepard’.  Her choice freed them of their programming, of centralized control.”

“Her choice of synthesis gave those that survived a new purpose.  For now, it would appear repairs to the mass relay network are their purpose.  If she had chosen to control them, she would have taken over for the catalyst.  Choosing to destroy them would have resulted in every synthetic in the galaxy being fried.  In my own humble opinion, she made the correct choice, for herself, for us… for the galaxy.”

“This victory has been exceedingly expensive, Commander.  So damned much sacrifice, destruction, death.  It doesn’t even feel like a victory… feels more like a… cease-fire, or an armistice,” Hackett said sadly as he studied Commander Yuán.  “Rachaél Shepard was like a daughter to me, Commander.  Maybe even a granddaughter, as old as I feel now.”  Hackett leaned back in his chair and sighed heavily, the weight of personal loss showing in his expression and posture.  “She was only a few years older than you, yet wiser than any of us, myself included.  She never refused an order.  She seldom refused requests for aid, no matter the source.”

“I cannot begin to imagine the physical pain she must have endured or the mental anguish she experienced in choosing as she did,” Hackett continued in a tired voice.  “Yet she must have believed going in that she would come out the other side.  We can take comfort in knowing she never hesitated, never faltered in doing everything she could to bring an end to this conflict.  Losing her makes us all so much poorer.”

Cody coughed softly to clear his throat. “Admiral, since we are speaking about Commander Shepard, how will she be remembered?  The Citadel Council, despite granting her Spectre status, never supported her actions.  When she declined to have the Alliance Fleet come to the aid of the Destiny Ascension, it soured our relations with the other races, particularly the asari… there were over 10,000 people on that ship.”

Pausing to gather his thoughts, Cody continued, “I suppose her interactions with the council made her motivations questionable, particularly for the asari councilor.  None of them much appreciated the disdain with which they were treated, especially when she disconnected them on numerous occasions… like whenever they disagreed with her actions.  What I do not understand…” Cody paused as he glanced at Yuán, then continued, “…is why she had such a difficult time persuading Alliance brass of what was coming.”

Hackett’s expression turned grim at this.  “You are dangerously close to going over the line here, Captain.”

“You said we could speak freely, Sir,” Cody coolly replied.  “Has that changed in the past fifteen minutes?”

“You may continue, Captain.  Just remember that I am part of the Alliance brass you are talking about.”

“Of course, Sir.  It just seems odd to me that Shepard was thrown in the brig for six months after the destruction of the Viper System relay.”

“We did that to keep the batarians off her, Captain,” Hackett replied, his voice cold.  “I was the one responsible for her being in that system in the first place.  They wanted her turned over to their authorities on Khar’shan, so they could place her ‘on trial’ for war crimes.  Her actions cost the lives of over 300,000 batarians in the Viper System.  Then there was Torfan… she killed damn near every batarian on that rock.  You can imagine what kind of trial she would have had.”

Cody quickly retorted with, “Amanda Kenson was a damned arrogant bitch, Sir.  Old friend or not, I looked at the reports from that project, and the facts are there for anyone willing to read between the lines.”  Xiùlán and Hackett both looked at him with amazement.  “Kenson and her team were indoctrinated by the Reaper device they discovered.  She was simply going to wait and lovingly welcome the invasion.  Without Shepard’s intervention, the Reapers would have been in the Sol system six months sooner, and those 300,000 innocent batarians would have been 300,000 Reaper cannibals to be set loose on Earth.”

Hackett said, “You should not know anything about that project, Captain.  You seem to be very well informed about what was supposed to be a covert mission.”

“The data is available to anyone willing to search for it.  I really wonder why Alliance brass did nothing… not a damned thing, to prepare for the Reaper invasion, Sir.  You had Shepard’s report.  You even had access to video data recorded by her helmet-cam, yet everyone sat on their hands for six months and did absolutely nothing.  Why?”

Hackett was beginning to regret his decision to allow these two to speak freely.  “Captain, you are now officially over the line,” he said, a bit more sharply than he meant to.  “I will tell you that I, along with Admiral Anderson, did as much behind the scenes as we possibly could to get the fleets ready.  Six months was simply not enough time… it helped, but it was not enough time.  I don’t think any amount of time would have been enough to prepare for the kind of assault we faced.  What happened when the Reapers came through the Kite’s Nest is something we cannot change… it is history.”

Hackett picked up a glass and poured himself some water from a pitcher.  He offered some to his guests, who politely declined.  After taking a long drink from the glass, he said, “Your original question about how Shepard will be remembered?  She found the truth of the Reapers, and stopped the invasion three years ago.”

Cody held up his hand.  “Excuse me Sir, that was a geth attack, was it not?  The geth had built some super dreadnought with help from the turian Spectre, Saren?”

“Information designed to misdirect people about the true nightmare Shepard discovered and managed to postpone,” Hackett replied, taking another sip of water.  “The ‘dreadnought’ that attacked the Citadel was a Reaper, something we didn’t know at the time.”  Thumbing through the data pads lined up on his desk, he selected one and handed it to Commander Yuán.  “All the facts are on there, Commander.  Copy the reports to your omni tool for review once you’re both back on your ship.  The reports even include the details about the destruction of the original Hong Kong.”

Hackett continued speaking as Xiùlán started trans-copying the data files.  “With help from Cerberus, she stopped the Collectors, no thanks to the Council.  After the invasion, she stopped a Cerberus coup on the Citadel; during that process she exposed Councilor Donnel Udina as a Cerberus puppet, killed him before he could kill the asari councilor, and saved the other Council members as well.  She was a major player in our destruction of Cerberus’s organization at Anadius.”

Hackett paused, his eyes betraying the difficulty he was having with his emotions.  Taking another sip of water, he continued, “She twice saved the Rachni from extinction, something for which the Council rebuked her both times.  She was instrumental in curing the genophage, giving the krogan a new lease on life.  She brokered a peace between the quarians and geth, ending a 300-year long conflict.  And her final solution on the Citadel saved the rest of us and set the Reapers free from their own programming.”

“In short, Captain, Lieutenant Commander Rachaél Anne Shepard will be remembered as a peacemaker.”  Hackett drank a bit more water; setting the glass down, he brought his hands together across his stomach and steepled his fingers.  “That’s an epithet very few people earn, particularly soldiers.  I think she’d be proud to wear it as a medal.”

Cody sat silent for several moments, then said quietly, “My apologies, Admiral.  Your assessment is absolutely correct.  I just wanted to voice our frustration with how she was treated these past three years.  No soldier, no officer… hell, no human being deserves to be the recipient of so much crap, thrown from so many directions.  We…” he paused to glance at Xiùlán, who nodded, “…just want to know that she will be remembered for being so much more than the ‘Butcher of Torfan’.”

“On that, we are totally in agreement, Captain.  I don’t see any mention in your report - did the Reaper know the fate of the _Normandy_?  I heard what it said when you were speaking with it.  They really don’t have a location for the ship?”

“No sir.  It did say it would submit inquiries among its kind,” Cody replied.  “If it is out there, they will find it.  They hold that ship and its former commander in very high esteem.”

“Well, it looks like you have point on this operation, Captain.”  Hackett opened his omni tool and entered several commands, resulting in Cody’s omni performing an auto start sequence.  “I just sent you my personal message address. Send me a text the minute your new acquaintance shares anything more with you.  Somehow, I don’t think you’ll have long to wait.  Now, we need to discuss how we resupply our ships.  Some are running low on food stores, others need H3.  Thoughts?”

* * *

*** NORMANDY DECK TWO • PORT SIDE AIRLOCK ***

Joker was standing just forward of the short corridor leading into the airlock.  “EDI, I really don’t like this.  Not only will you be deeper inside this Reaper, you won’t have any fast way back to the _Normandy_ if the situation goes to hell.”

EDI tilted her head slightly to the right as she looked at Joker.  “Jeff, at some point we are going to have to trust that this creature, whether you call it a Reaper or a Repository, is attempting to assist us.  It no longer professes to be a Reaper, so we must accept that it will do as it says.”

Joker crossed his arms in front of him and leaned against the bulkhead within which the cockpit access hatch was retracted.  “Still don’t like it,” he said in a singsong voice.

Samantha Traynor and Liara T’Soni, engaged in a deep conversation, walked towards them in the tactical passageway, followed closely by Major Alenko.  “I won’t be able to use biotics while we’re inside, Specialist,” Joker overheard Liara tell Samantha.  “Since we also will have no weapons, we’ll need to rely on our skills at hand-to-hand combat should the need arise.”

“That is exactly why I’m wearing gloves, Dr. T’Soni,” she hissed.  “These are sparring gloves, very light, designed to allow one to make hamburger of a person’s nose and mouth without making raw meat of one’s knuckles.  If I decide to punch his lying face in, I don’t want to pay by having my hands in casts.”

Alenko said, “Specialist, I know he is not your favorite person right now, but please try to control yourself over there.  Save it for once you’re back on board.  You can have him join you on the hanger deck.  Liara can slip a biotic block into his water, and you can beat him to a pulp if you wish.”

Samantha couldn’t decide if Kaiden was being truthful or just messing with her.  “Promise?”

“Just come back…” here he looked at EDI and Liara, “…in one piece, with or without Javik.”

EDI nodded, then opened her omni tool and set up a barrier behind them.  Motioning to Joker, she said, “In or out, Mr. Moreau,” to which he responded by walking towards her.  She set the kinetic barrier across the cockpit, then closed and locked both hatches.  Turning towards the airlock, she opened the inner hatch and walked inside, followed by the others.  Closing and sealing the inner hatch, she equalized pressures, then pressed the latch control on the outer hatch, which released with a hiss of displaced air, moving outward and astern.  As they stepped onto the docking platform, Shepard’s avatar appeared at the threshold in the same location as it had when Traynor had been attacked just five days ago.

Shepard called out to the vast emptiness, **“Žiuk’Durmah.  Our shore party is standing by for pickup.”**

 ** _Standby, Shepard-Normandy.  We are initiating transport_** … a bubble appeared at the outboard end of the platform, longer than wide and high, half hanging out over the vast emptiness of the sphere that contained the ship, … ** _crew may simply walk into this mass effect field. We will keep them safe._**

“Okay people, enjoy the ride.” Shepard’s avatar dissolved as first Liara, then EDI and Samantha walked up to the bubble and stepped through its barrier. Sam noticed her skin tingling as she entered, then nothing, as she blacked out.  Outwardly, all three were standing on what appeared to be a flat surface toward the bottom.  Inside, Samantha and Liara were unconscious, though still standing.  EDI found her motor control processor non-functional; she was unable to move her legs or arms, and could not turn her head.  She sent a thought to Shepard, still on the _Normandy_ , _“It would appear all three of us have been immobilized by Žiuk’Durmah.  Would it be possible for you to inquire as to why?”_

 **“Žiuk’Durmah, you have immobilized my crew,”** Shepard called out.   **“To what purpose?”**

 ** _They will not be harmed.  In order to accurately transport them to the portal, their mass must be negated within the created field._** As Žiuk’Durmah spoke, the bubble rose three meters and started moving towards the portal.   ** _To do this accurately, they must remain still during transit.  Once inside, they will each be restored to their original mass._**

Shepard relayed this information to EDI, who replied with a snarky _“Would have been nice to know before we stepped into the bubble.”_

Joker and Alenko waited on the platform until the bubble disappeared inside the hatch, then walked back inside _Normandy_ and closed the airlock. Kaiden followed Joker into the cockpit and waited as Joker tried to raise EDI on his omni tool. After several minutes, Joker admitted defeat as he looked at Kaiden.  “No contact Major.  Unable to tell if the signal is being actively blocked or is not strong enough to penetrate the metal hull.”

Shepard’s avatar appeared beside Joker’s seat.  “Apply more juice to the transceiver, Mr. Moreau.  We were able to communicate while on the derelict orbiting Mnemosyne.  I believe I can still be a projection next to EDI, but we’ll have to boost the power.  Get Tali to help.”

As Joker sent a text to Tali, Shepard heard EDI’s voice in the server.   _“Shepard, we are inside and are okay.  Ask Tali if she is able to boost the power to the transceiver.”_

“Already on it, EDI.  Standby.”

Samantha and Liara regained consciousness as the bubble disappeared around them. Each of them had nearly fallen… would have, if EDI had not been standing so close to them.  Sam asked, “Why can’t I remember the ride over?”

EDI told them why they had been rendered senseless, and related her own experience on the ride.  “Nothing to see except what we already have seen.”  But this compartment was interesting.  It felt more like a compartment on the _Normandy_ , with the exception of the color.  The walls, ceiling and floor were all dull grey, which looked to be the actual color of the metal used in their construction.  Liara walked up to the wall adjacent to the outer hatch and studied it closely.  Patterns in the surface, the alignment and sequence symmetrically arranged, reminded her of text, unlike any she had ever seen.  Instructions for this hatch, perhaps?  Their appeared to be a control node right in the center of the patterns, which she pushed. This caused what she could only surmise to be an alarm, which sounded several times then ceased.

**_Doctor T’Soni, please refrain from attempting to open the hatch._ **

“My apologies.  We are here to speak to Javik.”

**_You may enter the adjacent compartment through the hatch behind you.  Refrain from attempting to open any of the other hatches you see, as the compartments beyond each are low or no atmosphere.  None have environments suitable to sustain your life._ **

As Žiuk’Durmah finished speaking, the hatch on the other side of the compartment irised open, revealing a vast, brightly lit chamber beyond.  The walls had the appearance of housing the biggest computer server ever constructed.  Javik was seated at a terminal just inside the door, intensely studying the information on the screen.  EDI stepped through the opening and said, “Commander Javik?”

Javik quickly looked around at them, surprise evident in his expression.  “EDI.  Dr. T’Soni.  Specialist Traynor.  It is a surprise to see you.  Am I to presume you have arrived to escort me to the brig on the _Normandy_?”

Traynor answered for them.  “We are here to speak with you, to see if you wish to rejoin us on the _Normandy_.”  EDI had a finger on her ear, as if listening to an ear bud.

“I see.  What was Commander Shepard’s desire in this matter?  Am I to be left here alone within the hull of this hybrid machine?”  Javik looked at each of them in turn, then stood.

Traynor stepped forward to stand in front of the Prothean.  “She does not want that for you, unless you choose to do so.  I do not want you to have to stay here either.  I am willing to forgive your assault on me, if you give me a sincere apology for your actions.  As I recall, your apology to me on the _Normandy_ came just before you attempted to choke the life out of me.”

Javik was taken aback.  “You humans… so frail, so soft.  Always afraid of causing offense to others.  I will _not_ apologize to you for attempting to…”

Traynor had heard enough.  She threw three snap punches in quick succession, so fast her arms were a blur.  Her first punch connected with the bridge between his main eyes, right at his nostrils.  The second punch from her left fist contacted his mouth at a slight upward angle, snapping his head back.  The third punch, right fist again, nailed him at the point on his brow plate as his head bounced forward from the second punch.  This fractured the plate and knocked him down on the deck.  “You goddamned miserable son of a bitch!” she hollered at him as he lay there bleeding.  “I have had enough of you and your pontificating!  Žiuk’Durmah!  You can keep this wretched bastard for eternity!  I don’t want to ever set eyes on him again, unless he’s stuffed and mounted in a museum!”

EDI and Liara were stunned speechless.  Samantha had put Javik on the floor in less than a second and she wasn’t even breathing hard.

**_Specialist Traynor.  You have injured the last Prothean.  Why?_ **

“Because this cockroach is an unapologetic imperialist who tried to kill me,” Samantha said hotly.  “I was willing to forgive that if he apologized.  He apparently doesn’t have the bollocks to admit he was wrong, so I hit him, and you can go fuck yourself if you don’t like it!”

EDI touched the control in her hand, causing a pixilated image of Shepard to appear.  “Specialist, I see you are still having issues with Javik.  Please move back into the entrance chamber.”  Traynor took a deep, cleansing breath, then let it out slowly as she relaxed her stance.  She turned and walked back through the open doorway.

 ** _Shepard-Normandy.  How is it that you are here?_**  Žiuk’Durmah had a touch of… awe… in his voice.

**“I am still on the _Normandy_.  As a presence in the computer core, I can accompany EDI as a projected image.  It enables me to see and hear everything first-hand.”**

**_What am I to do with this Prothean?_ **

**“As the specialist said, you can keep him here.  His presence on the _Normandy_ is disruptive.”**

Liara couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Shepard, no.  There has to be a way we can bring him back with us.”

“I’m sorry Liara… really, I am.  The majority of the crew is not keen on having him back,” Shepard explained.  “He’s been on this Reaper a week, and it hasn’t improved his disposition one bit.  Actually, I’m a bit surprised Samantha didn’t kick his face in once he was down.”

“But Shepard…”

“I’ve made my decision, Liara.  The _Normandy_ has no space for a brig. Javik appears to be happy here researching these archives.  I’m sure you can visit him, if that is your desire.  And he’ll still be here when we arrive in the Apien Crest.  We may take him back on board when we arrive, but I fully expect he will wish to stay with Žiuk’Durmah.”

EDI was helping the dazed Prothean to his feet.  He saw Shepard’s projection and said, “I wish to register a complaint about one of your crew, Commander.”  It was a bit hard to understand him, as he had to speak past swollen, bloody lips.

“Really, Javik?”

“Yes.  Samantha Traynor.  She hit me in the face, twice.  No warning.”  He was holding his injured nose and attempting to stop the bleeding.  “I was going to apologize for attempting to kill her, and she… just… hit me.”

Shepard put her hands on her hips and shook her head in disbelief.  “Javik, truth be told, she hit you three times.  You lights were out after the second punch.  And you are a terrible liar.  I’m beginning to regret Liara’s intervention before we lifted off planet.  Things would be so much simpler if we had marooned you there and posted the planet off-limits.  As it is, we’re going to let you stay with your new friend.  Send me a text if you need anything from the _Normandy_.”

**_Shepard-Normandy. You intend to leave Javik here?_ **

**“Yes, Žiuk’Durmah.  His presence on the _Normandy_ is not required.  He may be better off with you here, as the Prothean archives you carry seem to be of interest to him.  Perhaps he can be transported to Kahje when the relays are repaired.  The hanar would treat him like the god he believes himself to be.”**

Liara wasn’t quite ready to give up. “By the goddess, Shepard.  Where’s your compassion?”

Shepard looked at Liara and replied with a question of her own.  “Where’s his, Liara?  If there was a secure compartment on the ship… a place I could use as a brig, he would be locked inside wearing shackles and biotic dampeners.”  Shepard was growing irritated with Liara’s obstinate defense of the self-righteous Prothean.  “Dammit T’Soni, he attempted to murder a defenseless person, a crewman, on my ship.  Specialist Traynor is not a marine.  Other than having some skill as an amateur boxer, she has no combat training.  She’s a data analyst.  I believe it is time we part ways with Commander Javik, for the safety of everyone on board the _Normandy_.”

Liara looked down at the deck, then up at Javik where he stood with his hand cupped over his mouth.  Heaving a heavy sigh, she turned without another word and joined Traynor in the entrance chamber.

**_“Žiuk’Durmah.  Will Javik’s presence be a problem?”_ **

**_We do not foresee any difficulties with this arrangement.  Dr. T’soni is welcome to visit as often as she wishes.  We will tend to his injury and keep him safe here.  Your party may leave when ready._ **

**“Thank you for your assistance.”**

Shepard looked at Javik.  “You are fortunate this Reaper… this Repository will tolerate your presence.  You should make good use of your time in here.  Perhaps Žiuk’Durmah will show you the cultural side of the Prothean empire, what existed before the beginning of their harvest on your civilization.  Good bye, Javik.”  Shepard continued, “EDI, let’s get back to the _Normandy_.  Contact Alenko… ask him to open the hatch.”

EDI shut Shepard’s projection down as she walked back to the entrance chamber to find Liara and Traynor standing, each grimly silent, arms crossed, at opposite sides of the small compartment.  As EDI walked up to the door, she looked at Liara.  “Javik has to unlearn 50,000 years of being part of an imperialist regime, Liara.  That is something that cannot be accomplished in just a few weeks or months.  Javik was born in the midst of the Reaper… harvest… of his time.  He never experienced a peaceful existence.  His attitude towards our species in this cycle is understandable, even if it is not acceptable to us.”

Liara looked at EDI, a mixture of sadness and anger evident in her eyes. “Abandoning him here will not help change his attitude towards us, EDI.”

At hearing this, Traynor turned towards both of them. “The weeks he spent on the _Normandy_ didn’t change his attitude either, Dr. T’Soni.  I realize you have a fondness in your heart for Protheans, but I believe all your years of research have created a blind spot concerning them.  Why can’t you simply accept that Javik is a soldier, as indoctrinated by his circumstances during a desperate war as any husk ever indoctrinated by the Reapers?”

Liara’s retort came as a stinging rebuke.  “Why can’t you simply get over it and move on?”

Samantha’s expression went cold as she moved to stand in front of the asari.  “You seem to forget your biotics will not work in this compartment, T’Soni.  It would be simple for me,” she slowly brought her fists up to chest level as she moved closer, forcing Liara to step back until she came up against the wall, “to put you on the deck just like I did with Javik… easier, since you don’t have a chitinous carapace protecting your face.”

“Are you threatening me, Traynor?”  All pretense of friendliness was gone.  Liara had no idea how she was going to get out of this discussion without being injured, but she sure as hell wasn’t going down without a fight.

“The son of a bitch tried to murder me, T’Soni,” Samantha said through gritted teeth.  “I suggest you give serious thought to where your loyalties lie.  And yes, I am threatening you.  How does it feel to not have a sidearm or your biotics to bail you out of the mess your mouth has gotten you into?”

EDI intervened at this point.  “Specialist Traynor, it would be unwise of you to strike Liara in my presence.”

“Go to hell, EDI.  My argument is with Blue,” Traynor replied venomously, never taking her eyes away from Liara’s face.

EDI reactivated Shepard’s projection, which took up a position next to Liara, facing the thoroughly pissed off specialist.  “Specialist Traynor, stand down!”

“I don’t think I can do that, Commander.  T’Soni here thinks that goddamned cockroach is more important than anyone else on the _Normandy_.  I think we should just leave her here to service him.”

“Specialist, Liara is my bond mate.  Leaving her here with Javik is not an option,” Shepard said, with a bit of venom of her own.  “I am ordering you to stand down, NOW!”

“Not going to happen, Commander.  I might be willing to obey an order from a flesh and blood, honest-to-god human.  You’re not flesh and blood. You’re not even human, and the chances of you ever possessing a flesh and blood body are as good as a snowball’s chance in hell.  You’re a damned ghost in the machine!  Perhaps someone should pull the power coupling just to see if you survive.”

“Specialist Traynor, you leave me no choice.  EDI, please place the specialist under arrest.  Charge her with insubordination, for starters,” Shepard said.  With that, EDI grabbed Traynor’s left arm just below her shoulder, spinning Sam around to face her.  Samantha reacted by punching EDI square in her left eye, which elicited an exclamation of pain from EDI and caused her to release Sam’s arm.  Samantha ducked the sucker punch she felt was coming from Liara, which sailed over her head and caught EDI hard in the mouth.

Samantha quickly spun around and up, catching Liara in the face with a brutally fast two-punch combo.  As Liara collapsed to the floor, Sam spun around again, dropping to a crouch as she ducked under EDI’s outstretched arms.  Straightening one leg, she swept it in an arc across and into EDI’s legs, knocking them out from under her.  Shepard’s image fizzled out as EDI crashed heavily to the floor, her outstretched left hand smashing the projection device against the steel deck.  EDI was disoriented; never having had to participate personally in hand-to-hand combat, she was having a difficult time processing this chain of events.

Samantha stood and turned back towards Liara, unconscious on the floor with a small puddle of blood under her face.  Javik, still holding his nose and mouth, was standing just inside the inner doorway.  “Your crew mates do not give you enough credit, human,” he chuckled.  “That was a most impressive display of skill.  However, I do not think you have endeared yourself to the asari or the machine.”

“Bugger your opinion, Roach.” Sam spat out,  “You should be glad I don’t have a gun.  I’d happily finish the job Tali started.”

Javik reached out and touched the control on his side, causing the door to iris closed.  EDI had finally regained her feet.  “Specialist Traynor, I am placing you under arrest, pending a hearing aboard the _Normandy_ to determine your punishment.”

“Actually, you don’t have the authority to hold me.  The blue bitch is not part of the Alliance.  Neither is Javik, nor are you.  As I am the only Alliance representative here, I will be bringing charges against both of you for assault and attempted assault.”

EDI was speechless.  Her malfunctioning left eye wouldn’t stay focused, and her vision kept going dark and light, perhaps because the iris was ‘hunting’ for the correct exposure.  Also, try as she might, she could not close her eyelid.  Her mouth actually hurt from Liara’s punch, something she would not have thought possible.  She reached up to touch her lips, which brought more pain.  Examining her fingertips, she was surprised to see a semi-translucent white liquid.  Blood?  Calling out, she said, “Žiuk’Durmah.  Please carry us back to the _Normandy_.”

Liara had regained consciousness and was on her hands and knees, groaning with pain.  EDI moved to assist her as the outer hatch irised open to reveal the Reaper created bubble, which had partially formed through the wall to keep the environment sealed.  Helping Liara to stand, she applied some medigel to her broken nose and cut lips, then assisted her as they walked/limped through the hatch, followed by Samantha. The hatch irised closed and Žiuk’Durmah returned them to the platform outside the _Normandy’s_ airlock, where Kaiden and Joker waited.

* * *

_**A/N:** It appears Specialist Traynor is more of a soldier than anyone gave her credit for, and she certainly does not suffer fools gladly.  It remains to be seen whether or not she can patch things up with EDI and Liara, plus she’ll have to convince Shepard and Alenko she regrets allowing her temper to get the better of her.  Stay tuned..._


	17. Consequences

_I was a rule-follower.  I obeyed all forms of authority.  I had never before encountered a situation where the authority was clearly wrong and I had to stand up for what was right_ \- Linda Kage, _The Color of Grace_

* * *

*** NORMANDY DECK FIVE • SHUTTLE BAY ***

Lieutenant James Vega was not sure he had heard Shepard correctly.  “Commander, what exactly did the specialist do again?”

“No time to go through the whole litany, Lieutenant.  I need you to double-time up to the port airlock with your side arm and restraints,” Shepard said.  “Move it.  Grab Campbell and Westmoreland from the War Room entrance then lock the access hatch in the CIC.  I need everything handled by the book.”

Aye-aye, Ma’am.  Right away.”

* * *

  *** DECK TWO • PORT SIDE AIRLOCK ***

Shepard’s avatar materialized at the outer threshold to the air lock.  “Alenko, I have Lieutenant Vega coming up here with Campbell and Westmoreland.  They will be your backup.  You will be placing Specialist Samantha Traynor under arrest for gross insubordination, to wit, refusing a direct order given twice by a superior officer, resisting arrest, striking and injuring a hybrid synthetic attached…”

Joker interrupted with, “Wait!  What?  She hit EDI?”

“…attached to the SSV Normandy as an artificial intelligence and relief pilot; striking and severely injuring an asari data analyst attached to and working on the Normandy…”

Alenko’s mouth fell open at this.  “Liara too?  Unbelievable!”

“…Let me finish, Major,” Shepard said, her voice sounding tired.  “Destruction of Alliance property caused by kicking out the legs of said A.I., resulting in a fall to the deck, which allowed a palm-held projection apparatus valued at over 85,000 credits to be smashed beyond repair.”

Vega appeared at the doorway in time to hear the rest of Shepard’s instructions.

“You will have her placed in restraints and escorted to the engineering deck, where she is to be locked up in the port side cargo compartment recently vacated by Commander Javik.  I am reassigning Campbell and Westmoreland to stand guard in rotating shifts.  Restroom use will require an escort by her female guard and either Vega or Lieutenant Steve Cortez.  At no time is Traynor to be allowed to leave the compartment without a two-person escort.  Am I clear?”

“Crystal, Ma’am,” Alenko replied.

“Gosh, Commander.  Is she really that dangerous?” Vega wanted to know.

Shepard answered as the mass effect bubble touched the far end of the platform and stopped moving.  “You didn’t see her in action.  I expect a supervised boxing match between you and Traynor would come out a draw, with odds in her favor.  She is fast, Lieutenant, wicked fast.  Make sure you retrieve her gloves and place them in some form of protective cover - they’ll be needed for evidence.”

There was movement inside the bubble.  Vega, Campbell and Westmoreland moved up to the end facing the airlock.  Vega told his team, “Ready weapons.  Stand on either side.”

EDI came out first, supporting the half-conscious Liara around the waist, eliciting a gasp from Joker as he saw how badly the pair had been injured.  He started to move towards her when a word from Alenko stopped him.  EDI and Liara limped their way to the airlock entrance, finally giving Joker a chance to assist them.  “Med Bay for Dr. T’Soni, Joker.  Server room for EDI.  Call Tali up to assist EDI… looks like she’s going to require some eye surgery.  I’ll be down as soon as I can,” Shepard said.

Samantha Traynor exited the bubble last, puzzlement on her features.  “What the ‘ell?  Vega?

“That’s Lieutenant Vega to you, especialista.  Place your hands on your head, interlace your fingers and turn around.”

“Wait, you’re placing me in custody?  What about the asari and the synthetic?  They attacked me!  I want them each charged with assault!” Samantha looked at Vega, then at the privates on either side of him.

Vega shook his head.  “Do as I said, Specialist Traynor.  Now!”

Samantha weighed her options, then slowly did as instructed.  Vega motioned for Westmoreland to frisk her for weapons.  Kicking her feet apart, Bethany whispered “Sorry ma’am,” as she began her pat down.  Traynor’s cheeks were a fiery red by the time the private had checked her crotch front to back, along with placing her hands between, beside and under her breasts.  “She’s clean, Sir.”

Vega brought out the restraints.  Grabbing her right arm, he clamped one end of the restraint to her wrist, then jerked her arm around and down, placing her hand at the small of her back.  Grabbing her other arm, he pulled it down and applied the restraint to her left wrist.  He then handed a pair of surgical gloves and a clear storage bag to Bethany.  “Put these on Private, then carefully remove those sparing gloves.  Try not to wipe off any evidence.”

“Yes Sir.”  Westmoreland removed Sam’s gloves and carefully placed and sealed them in the bag.

James grabbed Traynor by her shoulder and spun her around in place, moving with her so as to stay behind her.  Saying, “¡Vamos!  Let’s go,” he marched her towards the airlock and Major Alenko.  Stopping in front of him, he said, “Listen up.  Major has a few words for you.”

“Traynor, Samantha, Specialist, Alliance Navy, Service Number 8256-DH-7968, I am placing you under arrest per article seven of the Alliance code of Military Justice.  The charges are as specified by Shepard, Rachaél Anne, Lieutenant Commander, Alliance Navy, Service Number 5923-AC-2826, currently officer in charge of SSV Normandy.  You will be held until such time as a Captain’s Mast can be convened.  Lieutenant, take her below.”

James snapped a salute, as did the privates on either side of him.  Alenko returned their salutes then stood aside as James moved his prisoner ahead and into the ship.  Once all were on board, her took a last look around, sighed, then moved back into the Normandy and closed the hatch.

* * *

*** DECK THREE • STARBOARD SIDE, MED BAY ***

Shepard’s avatar appeared in the space next to the wall, between Dr.  Chakwas’ desk and the first bed.  “Joker is bringing Liara and EDI down here.  There was trouble on…”

“I already know, Commander,” Dr. Chakwas interrupted.  “I heard all about Traynor attacking Javik, then going after Liara and EDI.  As far as Javik is concerned, do you really blame her, Shepard?  The Prothean is an insufferable bastard, and he appears to be getting away with murder…her murder…or attempted murder, anyway.”

Shepard responded with, “That would have been understandable, Doctor.  Unacceptable, but understandable.  But she cold-cocked EDI and Liara, after refusing a direct order to stand down.  What the hell am I to do now, Karen?  How am I to respond to a direct refusal to recognize my authority?”

“The only way you can, Commander.  You blindfold her with her hands restrained behind her back, place her against a wall and execute her by firing squad.  No trial.  No excuses accepted.  Make the entire crew watch.  You’ll get the respect you need, guaranteed,” Chakwas said with a grin.

“I don’t believe the charges I’m filing are punishable by death, Doctor.  We’ll have to…” Shepard’s snarky response was interrupted by Joker entering the Med Bay, assisting EDI, who was assisting the still groggy asari.

Dr. Chakwas jumped up and moved to assist, relieving EDI of her burden so she could continue unimpeded into the server compartment.  “My God, Liara.  You’re a bloody mess.  Let’s get you to a bed so I can check you over.”  She waved her omni tool at the glass walls, rendering them reflective on the outside; helping Liara up on the bed, she had her sit on the edge while she carefully removed her armored gloves (eliciting a hissed intake of breath as the knuckles on her right hand were exposed) and gauntlets, then her armored jacket.  Chakwas then carefully scanned her head…front, back and both sides.

As soon as the readings were recorded, she removed her segmented back and breastplate, then helped Liara lie down.  After removing her thigh and shin plates, she pulled her boots off, then set all aside so she could look at her hands, the right one in particular.

“Well Doctor, will she live?” Shepard asked.

“Her injuries do not appear life threatening, Commander,” Chakwas answered as she administered a strong sedative and a dose of medigel.

“The synthetic nanites in her blood stream have initiated a healing process.  I will have to perform a bit of surgery on her mouth and nose.”

“What are her injuries?”

Before Chakwas could answer, Tali came rushing into the med bay.  “Dr. Chakwas.  Joker requested some help.  Where is…Keelah!” she exclaimed as she saw Liara on the bed.  “How many people did Traynor injure?”

“Three, Tali, including Javik,” Shepard answered.  “Joker is in the server compartment with EDI.”

“Are all Alliance communications/data analysts so capable?”

“As far as I know, Traynor is the only analyst capable of kicking ass so completely,” Shepard replied in a voice that managed to sound tired.  “Unfortunately for her, she’ll need to answer for injuring two of her crewmates.”

Shepard directed her attention back towards Karin.  “Doctor, continue please.”

“Okay.  Uh, her nose is broken.  She has two broken teeth, upper front.  Two teeth are loose in her lower jaw, which is dislocated.  She has lacerations inside her mouth.”  Chakwas continued talking as she set up an I.V., “Have to get some fluids in her.  Now where was I?  Oh yes, injuries.  She has fractures to her two middle proximal phalanges and the corresponding ends of the metacarpals…broken fingers.  It’s as if she hit a brick wall with that fist,” she said in amazement.

“May as well have been a brick wall.  It was EDI’s mouth,” Shepard said, her voice still snarky.

“Why in the world would Liara hit EDI?” Chakwas asked in amazement.

“Traynor ducked under the sucker punch Liara was aiming for the back of her head,” Shepard replied.  “EDI was the next thing in its path.”

“She’ll need a bit of physical therapy on that hand to keep it flexible,” Chakwas replied.  “Not a lot I can do except apply medigel to heal the skinned knuckles and help with the pain.  It appears her left wrist suffered a sprain.  No idea what caused that.”

Shepard replied, “I think she fell on it when Traynor took her down”.

“You mean Traynor knocked her out, Commander?  Damn.”  Chakwas brought up her omni tool again and rechecked findings from her original scan.  She rescanned Liara’s head and checked these new findings against the previous ones.  “It appears she has a concussion, caused either by Traynor’s fists, or by her own collision with the steel deck.  Maybe even both.”  Closely examining her head on either side of her crests, Chakwas discovered a small bruise, right by the base of a scalp crest.  “I will keep an eye on her, Commander.  It may be of no consequence.  She’s had worse injuries on ground teams with you.”

Shepard wanted to know, “And that’s supposed to make me feel better how?” Directing her attention towards Liara, she said, “Liara?”  A groan was her only response.  “I’m sorry I could not prevent this.  Please forgive me.”

Tali entered the server compartment, heart in her throat.  After seeing Liara’s injuries, she was fearful of what she’d be confronted with in here.  EDI was sitting on the platform at the end of the compartment, where the ‘Dr.  Eva’ Cerberus machine had been placed after Mars, seemingly a lifetime ago.  “What have we got, Joker,” she asked.

Joker was in full-blown panic mode.  “Tali, I don’t know what to do!  How do I help her?  She’s blind on the left!  Her mouth is bleeding!  Her hand is…”

Tali grabbed the sleeves of his uniform.  “Joker, stop!  Breathe.  We will get through this.  Calm down.  You cannot help her if you are running around in panic mode!  Let me look at her.”

Joker took a deep breath.  “Okay, Tali.  Just, please?”

Shepard’s avatar was in the compartment between the outboard forward server banks.  “Joker, we’ll get her repaired.  Just calm down, okay?

Tali walked over to EDI and said, “Hi EDI.  How are you doing?”

EDI took her right hand away from her left eye.  Tali gasped and said, “EDI.  We need to remove that eye.  It’s broken!” Tali moved close to EDI and brought her hands up to EDI’s face.

EDI leaned back slightly.  “Are you sure, Tali’Zorah?  The damage does not seem to be that serious.”

Tali replied sympathetically, “EDI, please.  The eyeball is broken.  The rotator control and the iris control are damaged.  I’m thinking the logic circuit for your eyes may be damaged as well, as it is ‘looking’ left when your right eye is looking ahead.  It needs to come out for repairs.  We don’t have a replacement on board, and I seriously doubt there’s another one in existence anywhere short of Cronos Station.”  Tali ever so gently touched EDI’s eyelid.  “Keelah!  Your eyelids are jammed open as well!  Let me help you EDI, before we lose the optical sensitivity inside your eye.”

EDI looked at Joker with her right eye.  Joker nodded.  EDI looked back to Tali and sighed.  “Okay, Tali.  I trust you.  You may proceed.”

“Good.  Just let me…” Tali used a finger and thumb to pry EDI’s eyelids apart a bit further.  “It would be advisable for you to turn your pain receptors off.”

“Already done, Tali.”

Tali visually inspected carefully around EDI’s eye opening.  “Aha!  Found it!  You may wish to lie down EDI, on your right side facing me.  I’ll be right back.”

Tali left the compartment and was gone several minutes.  When she returned, she held up a small, stainless steel probe, fifteen centimeters long by about three millimeters in diameter at the base, tapering to one millimeter at the tip.  “I think this will do the trick, EDI.  I need you to lock all the head movement motivators in your neck.  Can’t have you moving around while I extract your eye from its socket.”

Joker was beside himself.  “Tali, is that really necessary?  Isn’t there some way to repair the damage without ripping out an eye?”

“It’ll be fine, Joker,” she replied in a cheery tone.  “I have to have her eye clamped in a fixture to perform the repairs.  Trust me, I know what I’m doing.”

Tali placed her left hand on EDI’s forehead; with her thumb and a finger at the corners of EDI’s eye socket, she gently spread the ‘skin’ apart in order to see past into the eye socket.  “Okay EDI, now for the fun part,” Tali said as she very carefully slid the tip of the probe into the recess between her eye and the bridge of her nose, placing the tip against the hidden release she had discovered.  “Cover your eye with your fingers, EDI,” Tali requested.  With EDI’s fingers over her eye, Tali pushed the release until it clicked, resulting in the eye disconnecting from its harness plug and popping up in its socket.

“Okay EDI, move your fingers,” Tali instructed.  The quarian grabbed the damaged orb between thumb and finger and eased it up and out of the socket, then carefully rotated the iris completely closed.  Holding it up for EDI to inspect, she said, “I am surprised you were not wearing your combat visor, EDI.  It might have prevented this damage from being so severe.”

“I don’t know, Tali,” EDI replied, as she took the eye from the quarian.  “For a human female, Traynor really has a surprising amount of strength in her arms and shoulders.  I did not even see the punch coming.  I expect the visor would not have impeded her strike nor lessened the resulting damage.”

Tali had EDI hold on to her eye while she activated her omni tool, using it to form a high intensity light.  Inspecting the eye socket and harness plug intently, she said, “I don’t see any damage to the harness or the mounting clips.”  Inspecting EDI’s eyelids, she asked “Can you close your eyes, EDI?”

“Like that?” EDI asked as she closed the eyelids for both eyes.

“Yes!” The eyelids for her left eye closed, but did not meet evenly.  “It is as I thought, EDI.  Your left eyelids took a bit of damage, so with your damaged eye in place, they would not operate.  A fail-safe to prevent further damage.  I would recommend you leave just the lids closed on the left, if you can.  I can realign them when we’re ready to reinsert your eye.  Now, what do we do to help protect your empty socket?”

Joker, having left the compartment for a few minutes after Tali removed EDI’s eye, returned with Dr. Chakwas just as Tali finished talking.  “I think I have an answer for you.  Dr. Chakwas provided an eye patch from stores.  Let’s try this on, EDI.”  Joker came close and reached up and over her head, placing the patch over her left eyelids and securing the band behind her head.  Stepping back to admire his handiwork, he exclaimed, “Damn!  You look like a pirate queen straight out of the Terminus, EDI.

Doctor Chakwas came up to EDI and gently took her chin in hand as she said, “Let me take a look at your mouth, EDI.  Open up so I can see inside.”

EDI complied.  The doctor used gloved fingers to check her gums and teeth, looked at the inside of her lips, and finished up by closing her mouth and checking her lips as they pressed together.  “I think your mouth will heal just fine, EDI.  Apply a bit of medi-gel two or three times a day, and refrain from kissing…well, anyone, for a week or so,” she said, glancing at Joker for a reaction.  His cheeks and ears had turned pink, just the reaction she expected from him.  “Also…” the doctor continued, “…be careful when you move around.  Your depth perception will be virtually non-existent until you regain use of your other eye.  Now, how about your left hand?”

EDI held her hand out, palm up.  The projection controller had been made of lightweight plastics with a silver-gold alloy base.  Components inside had been assembled on a miniature circuit board; all had been smashed when EDI fell on the deck in Žiuk’Durmah’s reception compartment, resulting in some minor scrapes and lacerations in her palm and fingers.  Chakwas applied some cleansing gel to ensure there were no embedded pieces of plastic or metal, then applied some medigel.  She finished by applying a bandage to her hand, saying, “This can be removed in 24-to-36 hours, EDI.  Keep it clean and dry.  It would appear there are leukocytes in your… blood; that should help keep any infection at bay.”

Tali retrieved EDI’s eye and said, “I’m going to the environmental control compartment.  Dry air, warm, quiet.  I’ll start work on this right away EDI.”

“Thank you Tali… Doctor… Jeff,” EDI said as she returned to a sitting position.  “Your concern and assistance are appreciated.”

* * *

James Vega was a career soldier, but that didn’t mean he enjoyed all of the duties he was ordered to perform.  He particularly did not enjoy having to escort Samantha Traynor, in hand restraints no less, through the tactical passageway, through CIC and around to the elevator.  Some of the crewmembers they had to walk past looked up; seeing the expression on Vega’s face was generally enough to encourage attention to their jobs and not the people walking by.

Once on the elevator, he paused its travel between decks, then looked sternly at Bethany and Sarah and said, “Any treatment of this woman, verbally or otherwise, had better be by the book, privates.  If she needs to use the facilities every half-hour, day or night, then you will escort her, without complaint or objection.  If she asks for food every ten minutes, you will promptly ask what she needs and just as promptly bring it to her.  She is to be treated with utmost respect at all times.  Comprender?”

“Aye, aye Sir!” they both chimed in unison.

James moved from behind Samantha to stand in front of her.  “Specialist,” he said.  She looked up at him, uncertainty in her eyes.  “What I have just told these two…” here he jerked his head to indicate the two privates, “…does not give you permission to abuse them or treat them as your personal servants.  I want all three of you clear as to what I expect from you, until this mess is sorted out.  I did not join the Marines to take my own crewmates into custody.  I do not like this any better than you; even less so, as it is the second time in less than a year I’ve had to guard a member of the Alliance Navy.”

Samantha relaxed slightly.  “I’m sorry, Sir.  I don’t know…”

James held his hand up, palm outward.  “Save it, Specialist.  I’m not the one you have to convince.”  He pressed the control to enable the elevator to continue its descent.  “I heard you cold cocked ‘Buggy’.”  Lowering his voice to barely above a whisper, but still loud enough for the three women to hear, he said, “You three did not hear me say this: I bet that felt good, Specialist.”

Traynor responded with a small smile.  “Yes Sir,” she said quietly.

* * *

*** DECK FOUR • PORT SIDE CARGO COMPARTMENT ***

Waving his omni tool past the door lock, Vega opened the hatch and preceded Traynor into her new temporary quarters.  Engineer Adams had just finished configuring emitters in the deck and ceiling; a cot had been placed against the outboard wall, along with a locker for clothing and supplies.  There was a small desk and chair next to the wall - this held a terminal and a lamp.  James walked Traynor to the desk, then stood back while Westmoreland moved up behind her.  Activating her omni tool, she simultaneously held the hand restraints in the middle while she released them from Sam’s wrists.  Traynor slowly brought her hands around in front of her, massaging her wrists as she turned to face Vega and her guards.  Vega held out his left hand and said, “I’ll be relieving you of your omni tool, Specialist.”

Without a word, Samantha released her wristband, removed the omni and placed it on the desk.  James said, “Move away from the desk, please.”

Samantha took six steps back from the desk as she said, “You must think I’m a really dangerous person, Lieutenant.”

Shepard’s avatar appeared on the opposite side of the compartment near the inside wall.  “No, Samantha…” she answered as James retrieved her omni and moved to stand near Shepard.  “…James is simply doing as instructed.  By the book.  I want all rules and procedures followed, for your protection and ours.  I have never, in the nine plus years I’ve been an officer in the Alliance Navy, had an order… a direct order, so blatantly disobeyed.”

Shepard continued, “You might have… just _mi ght_ have had some grounds for assaulting Javik.  You had absolutely no justification for attacking EDI and Liara.  None!  Liara has a broken nose, broken teeth, and a dislocated jaw, along with lacerations inside her mouth.  EDI’s left eye is broken and may well be irreparable.  The control device that allowed me to accompany her is destroyed.  And that’s just the damage and injuries for which _y ou_ are directly responsible.”

“How in hell did you avoid Liara’s punch from behind?  Never mind, I don’t want to know.  You’ll get your chance to tell your side.  We’re going to convene a Captain’s Mast, something else I’ve never had to be a part of.”

“Are you going to be presiding officer?” Samantha wanted to know.

“No, Specialist.  You’re going to have an impartial, flesh and blood officer deciding what to do with you.  Major Alenko will be presiding.  Lieutenants Adams and Cortez will be assisting.  I trust that will be satisfactory for you.  Alenko is an Alliance Marine; Cortez and Adams are Navy through and through.  No asari.  No synthetic.  No ‘Ghost in the Machine’.  And just so you know, there will be no charges brought against EDI or Liara for their part in this disaster.  You seem to be the only one of the three to come back without so much as a paper cut.  I don’t think your accusations of them assaulting you will stand up to scrutiny.  Will there be anything else, Specialist?”

“Will there be a trial?” Traynor wanted to know.

“Not happening here.  Code hasn’t changed much in the past 180-200 years, Specialist.  You’re not facing a court-martial at this point.  It’s an NJP - Nonjudicial Punishment.  As you are attached to this vessel, you cannot refuse mast.  Don’t make me quote chapter and verse, Samantha.  I know it forwards and backwards.

Traynor sighed, then asked, “What’s going to happen to me, Shepard?”

“It’s still _Commander_ to you.  And I don’t have an answer for you, Samantha,” Shepard said.  “I really don’t know.  And now…”

“James, bring the barrier on line,” Shepard said.

“What’s this then?” Traynor wanted to know, as an orange-tinted kinetic barrier came to life, floor to ceiling, running right down the middle of the compartment fore and aft to the bulkheads.

“You didn’t think you’d have this entire room to yourself, did you?” Shepard asked.  “This kinetic barrier has a bit of juice behind it.  Attempt to walk through it, it’ll knock you back on your ass.  It’ll make life easier on the two privates I’m assigning to guard duty.  We’ll talk soon, Specialist.”

Traynor couldn’t think of anything to say.  She pulled the chair away from the desk, turned it to face the barrier and sat down as Shepard’s avatar winked out and James left the compartment with Private Westmoreland, leaving Sarah Campbell to stand the first watch.   _'I really shit in my mess kit this time,'_  Traynor thought to herself.


	18. Redemption for Traynor

_I have learned all kinds of things from my many mistakes.  The one thing I never learn is to stop making them_ \- Joe Abercrombie, _Last Argument of Kings_

* * *

*** DECK THREE • LIFE SUPPORT ***

Tali’Zorah sat at the desk formerly used by Thane Krios, her back to the bulkhead with the covered viewport.  She could feel the low frequency ‘thrum’ of the engine core, sitting idle, running just enough to generate power for the ship.  There was not a lot for Tali to monitor when the ship was docked.  She had her miniature tools placed neatly beside her, with the fixture holding EDI’s left eye placed right in front of her.

She had removed the forward facing hemisphere and immediately protected the photosensitive inner surface at the rear of the orb with an ultra-thin piece of black polyvinyl, heated and formed to shape.  Tali had carefully measured the diameter in six places; as expected, the majority of the damage was right in front.  Inspecting the vanes composing the iris, along with the control circuit and light sensor module, she found the wiring for the module itself was damaged.  Looking at the module using a computer-controlled microscope revealed several of the hair thin connectors had been jarred loose from the insulating polymer, allowing two to cross circuit.   _‘Repairing these should fix the iris,’_ she thought to herself.  Choosing the smallest pair of tweezers from among her tools, she brought the tips into the view she had through the microscope.  She gently ‘picked’ at the crossed connectors first, separating and reforming them to align with the pins to which they were supposed to be attached.  Setting each connector on its assigned pin, she then used her other hand to introduce a needle tip micro-applicator…this was used to apply a microscopic dot of fast-set epoxy adhesive to secure the connectors to the pins.  She then reset the three other loose connectors and applied epoxy to them as had been done with the first two.  Inspecting her handiwork from several angles, she felt she had this repair complete.  Now, onto the control circuit…

* * *

*** DECK THREE • STARBOARD SIDE, MED BAY ***

Shepard had remained in the Med Bay, keeping watch over Liara. _‘How in the hell did this get so out of hand?’_ she thought to herself, not for the first time (or even the tenth time) since the ground team had returned battered and bloody.   _‘Dammit, I knew Traynor had a hatred for Javik, even after I managed to broker a ‘cease-fire’ between them.  And after he attempted to kill her, I still did not give her the support she needed, and that’s on me.  And what in hell is with Liara?  She has this huge blind spot concerning Javik.  She confronted him when Thessia was overrun and still backed down from killing him.  I am such a shining example at dealing with my own personal life… I don’t know how to deal with relationships between other people…'_ her thoughts were interrupted by Žiuk’Durmah.

**_SHEPARD-NORMANDY.  This Repository has information for you from Alliance space._ **

**“Standby Žiuk’Durmah”**

Shepard sent a text to Kaiden’s omni tool.

His response was almost immediate.  _“What can I do for you Commander?”_

“Please meet me in the War Room.  Come alone,” she replied.

_“Be right there.”_

* * *

*** DECK FOUR • PORT SIDE CARGO COMPARTMENT ***

Specialist Samantha Traynor had asked for and received a portable curtain behind which she could change her clothes while maintaining a bit of modesty.  She was wearing her sleep shirt over sleep shorts, her standard attire for going to bed.  She had moved her rack as far forward in the compartment as possible in order to be further from the entrance hatch, which seemed to open and close on a randomly regular basis.

Sarah Campbell was once again her guard, with Westmoreland having just gone off shift.  As she crawled under the covers and faced the outer wall, she heard the damn hatch open yet again, then the sounds of a whispered conversation.  She was surprised by the cessation of the kinetic barrier and footsteps lightly coming her way.  Just as the barrier went back up, she heard a male voice softly say, “Specialist?  Are you still awake?”  It wasn’t a voice she immediately recognized.  There was a flanging quality to it, along with… sub-harmonics?  Garrus?

She turned over to see Garrus Vakarian nervously standing at the foot of her bed.  She tossed the covers back and rolled to a sitting position, then stood as he approached closer.  She didn’t know where the tears came from… they were just there, rolling down her cheeks as she stopped in front of him, then reached out and hugged him tightly.  “Dammit Garrus, I am in so much trouble,” she whispered, afraid Campbell would hear.  “What the ‘ell am I going to do?  I’m going to be crucified, right?  Kicked off the ship?  I punched out the commander’s love toy and Joker’s sexbot.  Alenko’s going to preside over this bullshit hearing, and…” she paused as realization struck, “…are you going to assist?  You’re going to ‘elp them hang me, aren’t you?” she cried, fear in her face as she drew back from him.

Garrus held her firmly as she struggled to back away.  “Sam.  Samantha!   I got your six!” he hissed, trying to keep things quiet.  The buzzing from the barrier was masking his voice.  “Stop pulling away, dammit.  I’m just here to talk to you.”

“How in the ‘ell are you going to do that?” she whispered heatedly.  “Your presence here will be reported by Campbell and you’ll be in trouble too.”

Letting her go, he said, “I want to help you, Traynor.  Sit down.” He moved back to the desk, grabbed the chair by its backrest and rolled it to the side of the bed.  Sitting in the chair, facing Samantha, he realized how frightened she really was… she had started shivering in the coolness of the compartment.  He leaned over her and pulled the bed covers around her shoulders.  “Better?”

“Yes, thanks,” she whispered as she hugged the blankets to her.  There was so much concern in his voice.  Was it the sub-harmonics?  It was so… comforting.

“Now, what set you off today?” he asked.  “Perhaps I need to hear a bit of your history, Samantha.  Tell me about your life in the colonies.”

“I don’t see what good that will do.” Sam replied.  “I left home when I was 15 years old… traveled to Earth… London, actually, then to Oxford University.  My parents couldn’t afford a university education for me, but the Alliance saw the results of my aptitude tests and offered me a full scholarship in exchange for enlisting afterwards.”

“What did you study?” Garrus asked.

“Physics, specializing in astrophysics - got my BA on that one,” she said, smiling with a touch of pride.  “Also studied mathematics and statistics, with an emphasis on analysis…I absolutely love crunching numbers around in order to make sense of them.  I even studied mathematics and computer science.”

“Sounds like mathematics was your life,” Garrus replied.  “So how did you go from peacefully studying number crunching to having violent encounters with Protheans, asari and hybrid synthetics?”

Samantha looked at Garrus’s face, searching for any indication he was making fun of her.  He flared his mandibles in a turian version of a smile.  There was… a twinkle in his eyes.  They looked friendly enough, for a turian.

“I enlisted in the Alliance when my studies were complete,” she replied.  “I was 19 years old.  I had been told my education would qualify me for starship duty.  But after my basic training was done, I volunteered…” here she paused to think, to look back on the events that shaped her, “… or maybe I was persuaded to volunteer, for specialized combat training.”

Garrus showed his surprise at this revelation.  “You had combat training?  Why did you keep this from everyone?  Why hide this from Shepard?”

“This wasn’t simply how to fire a gun or use explosives or how to storm an enemy position under covering fire, Garrus,” she replied, brown eyes looking straight at his brilliant blues.  “It wasn’t training for N6 or N7.  I was trained to be part of an extremely elite group of people, designated ‘CvO’, or Covert Ops.  The part that was specialized?”  She glanced over to where Sarah Campbell was sitting by the exit, apparently paying no attention to either Garrus or Traynor.

Garrus encouraged, “Go on.”

“The ‘specialized’ was where I excelled, Garrus, skills at which I am especially proficient.  I’m an experienced CvO-7 operative,” Sam whispered.  “Your own skill with a sniper rifle?  Unrivaled by anyone, even Rachaél Shepard.  My own skills using my body, my bare hands as weapons?  I don’t need the sniper rifle, Garrus.  I just need to be close.”

“I could reach out this instant, kill you with one move.  You would never see it coming; anyone watching us would be unsure of what happened… what I did, and you wouldn’t make a sound as you died.  Your body would be going cold before you hit the floor.”

Garrus leaned back in his chair, involuntarily placing himself a bit further from this intriguing human female.  “You were trained to kill turians?  Bare hands?”

“Not just turians, Garrus,” she replied softly.  “Batarians, krogan, salarians, asari.  Even volus, hanar and vorcha.  And yes, humans as well.”  The amazement in Garrus’s eyes told her he didn’t quite believe her.  “I could have killed that Prothean bastard when I punched him, Garrus.  I hit ‘im three times, and pulled all three punches.  If I had seriously hit that plate between his eyes on my third punch?  The section that fractured would have broken off and been driven into the lower frontal portion of his brain.  He would never have gotten up.  I pulled my punch when I hit EDI, pulled ‘em when I hit T’Soni, and I still broke her damn nose and dislocated her jaw.  I could just as easily have killed her.”

“Specialist, if all this is true,” Garrus wanted to know, “how is it that Shepard never knew about you before, when the _Normandy_ escaped Earth and went to Mars?”

Sam brought her legs up, thighs against her chest as she placed her feet on the edge of the bed.  Rearranging the blankets to keep her bare legs covered, she hugged them and rested her chin on her knees.  Sighing, she finally answered with, “I don’t think the project managers took biotic ability into account when they designed the program, so it was terminated, records sealed, personnel sworn to secrecy, but not before I had completed several highly classified assignments, either with the express purpose of taking a target down or of recovering something valuable.  It was ‘wet work’ Garrus, and I was one of the best at what we did.”

Sighing again, she looked up at Garrus through her lashes and continued.  “Not many made it out of the program alive.  I expect the few that did get out are no longer with the Alliance… probably working as mercenaries, or were before the Reapers showed up.  I was fortunate… I was reassigned to the Navy so the Alliance could make use of all the college smarts they paid for.  Been working on ships ever since.”

Sam paused for a minute, chin still on her knees, looking off into the distance.  Garrus was getting ready to prompt her when she quietly continued, “Brass transferred me to the _Normandy_ just last May to oversee the communications retrofit and QEC installation next to the war room.  Just my luck to still be aboard when the Reapers attacked.  Suppose I’d be Reaper fodder if I’d stayed on Earth.  Funny how things work out sometimes.”

Garrus stood.  He returned the chair to its station by the desk, then turned back to look at Samantha.  He walked back to her bed; placing a hand on her shoulder he asked, “Is there anything you need… anything I can bring you?”

She shook her head ‘no’ and replied, “You’re very kind, Garrus… thank you, but no.  I’m fine”

Garrus gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and replied, “Get some rest, Specialist.  We’ll talk again tomorrow.”  He turned and walked towards the rear of the compartment; catching the attention of Private Campbell, he motioned for her to lift the barrier so he could leave.  Pausing as the compartment hatch slid open, he looked at Campbell sharply and said softly, “Take good care of her, Private,” using his sub-harmonics.  “She’s an extremely special person.”  He strolled out into the hallway as the door slid shut and latched behind him.

Samantha lay on her left side facing the wall, sheet and blankets pulled over her ear.  Her conversation with Garrus had brought up all her suppressed memories… missions she’d been on before being assigned to perform comm systems work on starships.  One mission had always stood out… the second one of her short career in Covert Ops.  She was remembering all the details as sleep overtook her.  She began to dream…

* * *

_**\- YEAR 2181 CE · AUGUST · CARTAGENA STATION, NEMEAN ABYSS -** _

_A small freighter with passenger quarters, the MSV Ornate Quasar docked at one of three lower entrances to Cartagena Station.  Several turians, a salarian and a human exited the ship as soon as docking clamps and seals were secure.  After checking through a rudimentary customs inspection, the human pulled the hood of her knee length, dark grey leather overcoat over her head, gathered her packs and strode briskly to the closest bar._

_Surreptitiously looking around the dark confines as she entered_ ‘La Botella y Casque’ _, she mentally noted exits (there were two others in addition to the main door), and number and species of the patrons (one lone turian, a salarian and two asari matriarchs) among all the batarians seated at the several small tables scattered around the room.  No one spared her even a glance as she flitted like a shadow in the dimly lit room; checking sightlines as she moved, she settled with her back to the wall at a corner table, close by one of the rear exits, and waited._

_A bored looking asari sauntered over and asked if she wanted a drink.  “Whiskey, splash of lime juice,” she responded, using the palm of her gloved left hand to slide several credit chits across the table.  The asari picked up the chits and walked off, returning in a few minutes with a shot glass full of amber liquid.  “Not many humans come through here these days,” she said in a conversational tone as she set the glass in the center of the table.  “Batarians have scared ‘em all off, I guess.”_

_The woman picked the glass up with a black gloved hand, tossed the liquid down her throat and set the empty glass on the table upside down.  “Refill,” she said in a husky voice._

_The asari quickly brought a second full glass and set it in the center of the table.  The hooded figure turned towards her slightly as she said, “So, not many humans here?  I’m looking for one human in particular.  Big man, slanted gray eyes, dark hair, knife scar for’ead to ear.  Seen anyone like that?”_

_Wiping the table with a towel, she answered, “Kind of hard to miss, that one.  Came through yesterday off the MSV Platinum Lance, small scout ship.  Stopped in for a drink before moving on.”_

_“Any idea which way… same level… up... down?”_

_“Actually said he was looking to meet someone.” Pausing to remember, she continued, “I think he was heading to one of the freight transfer storage areas.”  Answering the unvoiced question, she continued with, “Sub-level five, section fourteen.”_

_The gloved hand set another credit chit on the table before picking up the shot glass.  Taking a sip, she said, “Thanks.”_

_The asari picked up the credit chit and walked back towards the bar.  The woman studied her from under her hood as the asari stopped to talk to the batarian bartender; he in turn glanced in her direction before pushing back from the bar and disappearing behind the forward liquor storage cabinets.  The asari glanced nervously at the entrance, then back in her direction before moving casually to the other end of the bar.  Downing the rest of her drink, the hooded figure placed her upper teeth on her lower lip as she sucked air through them.  ‘Warning enough…,’ she reasoned to herself._

_In a matter of minutes, two batarians ambled through the main entrance, each dressed in the uniform of the Cartagena Patrol… C-Pat in local parlance, and walked up to the bar.  After speaking to the bartender for a few seconds, they split up and began an approach to the corner table from either side.  With hands on holstered M-3 Predators, they stopped opposite each other at the table’s edge, finding only an empty shot glass, upside down in the center of the table.  Samantha Traynor had already left through a rear exit…_

* * *

*** PRESENT DAY · NORMANDY DECK TWO • WAR ROOM ***

Major Kaiden Alenko was massaging the back of his neck as he entered the hallway beside the conference room.  It had been a long day, stretching now into a longer second shift, with more problems occurring than should be possible on a small ship not even underway… well, to be fair, the _Normandy_ _was_ moving, just not under its own power.  Walking into the war room, he saw Shepard’s avatar to the right of the QEC compartment entrance, beside one of the two access terminals that flanked the doorway.  “What’s up, Commander?”

“Žiuk’Durmah wants to talk to me,” Shepard replied.  I’m reading you into this so you have the information firsthand.”

“Any ideas why?”

“Not a clue.  **Žiuk’Durmah.  I have moved into the Normandy’s War Room.  I am here with Major Alenko.  What do you need?”**

To Kaiden’s surprise, an image began forming in the main projection well, one that would be recognized instantly by any inhabitant of the galaxy.  A vision from the pit of the abyss took shape in translucent reds and blacks… a projection of a Sovereign class Reaper appeared in the central well as he approached the edge and leaned in on the railing.

 ** _SHEPARD-NORMANDY.  ALENKO-MAJOR._** The image fluctuated in brightness as the creature spoke.  **We have received an inquiry from FIRST ONE regarding the status of NORMANDY and Normandy-Crew.  Other humans, in vessels of similar design to NORMANDY are seeking information on the fate of NORMANDY and Normandy-Crew.  FIRST ONE, the Repository known to you as HARBINGER, is aware that THIS REPOSITORY is transporting NORMANDY and Normandy-Crew to the Apien Crest.  FIRST ONE has not revealed NORMANDY and Normandy-Crew survived Crucible energy discharge.  FIRST ONE has not revealed presence of SHEPARD-NORMANDY.  We would provide an answer to the other humans.  What answer should be provided?**

 **“In what system and on what ships do these humans reside?”** Shepard wanted to know.

**_System is Arcturus Stream.  Vessels are Frigate SSV Hong Kong II, Dreadnaught SSV Orizaba.  William Cody-Captain, Hong Kong II requesting for Hackett-Fleet Admiral._ **

Kaiden whispered, “Commander, that’s the rendezvous system.  We really should tell the Admiral we’re still alive and kicking.”

“If we do that, he’s going to want to know how long until we get back to ‘civilization’, or whatever is left of it,” she whispered in reply.  “I’m not ready to tell him we’re strapped inside a Reape… Repository, moving at some unbelievably insane multiple of light speed, headed for the turian home system.  Hell, I’m still not sure I believe it myself!”

“We need to tell them something, Commander,” worry plain in Kaiden’s voice.  “We knew this day was coming.  Do we need to tell them we’re being transported by a Reaper… er, sorry, Žiuk’Durmah… a Repository?”

**“Žiuk’Durmah, would it be possible for me to directly speak with Harbinger?  Can we relay communications through your systems?”**

**_Standby, Shepard-Normandy._** Žiuk’Durmah’s hologram projection faded from view.

“Dammit Commander, what are you going to say to Harbinger?  The bastard is responsible for…”

Shepard interrupted with, “… my death, Admiral Anderson’s death, the deaths of millions upon millions on Earth and every other system they entered, plus countless others going back a billion years or more.  I don’t want to talk to him either, but…”

Žiuk’Durmah’s hologram projection reappeared.  **_Shepard-Normandy.  Harbinger will speak with you in Normandy QEC compartment.  You will need to modify the imaging platform transceivers in order to obtain and send a clear signal.  The signals will be amplified within my own communications array.  I believe you may need to employ Traynor-Specialist to complete this task._**

 **“Standby Žiuk’Durmah.”**   Shepard couldn’t believe it!   “Now what the hell am I going to do, Kaiden?  Do you think we can trust Samantha to make the modifications without sabotaging the system?”

“Commander, I don’t believe we have a choice if you want to talk directly to Number One,” Kaiden replied.  “I did some research into Traynor’s background while you were in MedBay with Liara.  I believe her reactions with Javik and Liara were a result of some really scary training she went through shortly after joining the Alliance.”

“What kind of training has her breaking people’s noses and busting their chops?”

“We can talk about it at her hearing,” Kaiden replied.  “For now, we need her in here with her hands free.  Garrus went to see her about 1830.  I would ask him to get James and bring her up here.”

“Do it.”

* * *

  _ **\- YEAR 2180 CE · AUGUST · CARTAGENA STATION, NEMEAN ABYSS -** _

_…the young woman in the dark grey cloak had slipped out the nearest exit and strode purposefully down a dimly lit hallway as she listened for any noise behind her.  The batarians eyesight made any attempt to use her cloaking device futile… their upper eyes were highly sensitive to heat signatures, something no personal cloak in existence could hide._

_Hearing no sounds behind her, she paused long enough to bring up a station map on her omni tool.  Its use had to be kept to a bare minimum, as C-Pat could detect the access to the station’s VI.  Finding the needed coordinates, she plugged them into her Omni’s memory and switched it off.  For now, she turned down a nearby branching access passageway and walked up to the door.  Locked, naturally.  Hacking the lock took her only a few moments._

_Engaging her cloak, she slowly slid the door open and waited.  The small office area was dark, with the first of several medium sized cargo areas just past another door set in the far wall.  She moved only her eyes as she carefully inspected the walls and corners of the room.  As expected, there was no sign of detection equipment; she eased her way past the threshold and towards the door on the opposite wall as she kept watching the windows on both sides for any sign of movement or discovery.  Reaching the door without incident, she crouched beside it and tried releasing the latch; the door opened inward as she tugged at the release.  Probably only locked from the outside.  She made ready to stand and enter the first cargo area when she felt a hand on her left shoulder, shaking her gently as a voice said…_

* * *

*** PRESENT DAY · DECK FOUR • PORT SIDE CARGO COMPARTMENT ***

“…Specialist?  Specialist Traynor.  Wake up, please.” _… Funny, she had encountered only one turian since disembarking from the ‘Ornate Quasar’…_ Samantha turned her head and tried to focus her eyes.  The face hovering over her was a mottled grey in color, with markings in brilliant blue across the nose and under the eyes.  “Garrus?  What… where…”

“Major Alenko and Commander Shepard need you in the QEC compartment in the War Room.  Get dressed.”

“Am I still in detention?” she asked.

“That hasn’t changed,” Garrus replied.  “Other things have.  Come on.  Here’s you duty uniform.  We’ll wait at the other end of the room.”

“We?”

“James and myself.  We’re your escort, along with Private Campbell; I’m fairly certain you’ll need to use a restroom on our way to deck two, so we’re going to detour up to the loft.  Less traffic, a lot less public, easier to control the situation.”

Traynor sat up slowly.  “Spoken like a true C-Sec officer, Garrus.  How long have I been asleep?”

“It’s been three hours since we talked,” Garrus replied as he walked back towards the exit hatch.

Sam got to her feet, grabbed her clothes and stepped behind the screen to get dressed.  She yawned as she finished pulling her boots on, then walked towards the waiting turian as she ran her fingers through her hair.  As she joined him, a nod from Garrus to Westmoreland resulted in the hatch being unlocked and opened, revealing Lieutenant Vega and Private Campbell waiting in the hall.  Westmoreland brought out the restraints as the two guards drew their sidearms and entered the compartment.  “Please turn around Ma’am, kneel with your legs crossed at the ankles and place your hands on your head,” the private said in a tone that indicated to Sam she would rather be anywhere else, doing anything else than what she had to do here.

As Samantha complied with the instructions, she noticed that even Garrus was keeping his distance.  “Come on, people,” she said disbelievingly.  “You really think I’m going to risk more trouble by attacking any of you?  My argument has always been with the stinking cockroach, no one else, okay?”

Vega answered with, “Apologies, Specialist.  Just following protocol, ya know?”

“You do realize I’ll …” Traynor interrupted her snarky reply with a grunt of pain as Westmoreland twisted her right hand and arm down behind her back.  “… have a hellova time using a toilet with my hands restrained behind me,”

“Which is the reason we’ll have both privates accompany you…” Vega started to explain.

“In the bloody loo?!”  Traynor was incredulous.  “You’re not going to allow me to keep a shred of my dignity, are you?” she yelled at James.  “They’re going to pull my knickers down, set me on the toilet so I can crap and piss, clean me up after then put my clothing all back to rights again?!”

“As I was going to explain, they will release your restraints under guard, allow you to do your business unhindered and by yourself, then reapply the restraints after you’ve finished,” Vega replied.

“Oh,” she said meekly, all indignation gone as Westmoreland restrained her left hand.

“Not my idea of a fun time either, Ma’am,” the private whispered in Sam’s ear as she carefully helped her to her feet.

* * *

*** DECK TWO • WAR ROOM ***

Traynor entered the war room ahead of Vega and the two privates, walking to the right around the central projection well until she reached the entrance to the QEC.  Major Alenko faced her as she stopped; Shepard’s avatar was to her right, just outside the entrance.  Kaiden asked, “How are you doing, Specialist?”

“Okay sir.  Bit hard to sleep with all the noise,” Sam replied.

“It’s not designed for your comfort, Traynor,” Shepard remarked.

Sam glanced at Shepard’s avatar with a look of pure malevolence, then turned back to Alenko.  “Why have I been brought here, Major?”

“We have need of your expertise, Specialist.  The commander needs to speak with Harbinger one-on-one, using our QEC array transmitting and receiving through Žiuk’Durmah’s communications system.  It recommended you as the one best qualified to modify our imaging transceivers to allow this.  Up for a challenge, Traynor?”

“I don’t believe it’s much of a challenge, Sir.  Should take me forty, fifty minutes,” she replied.  “I need my kit, in my locker.”

“Okay.  Vega, release her restraints.  Campbell, Westmoreland, you both may return to the entrance corridor,” Kaiden instructed.

“Major, do you think it wise to…” Shepard started to ask.

“Garrus,” Kaiden continued.  “If you would do me the favor of retrieving the specialist’s toolkit from her locker on deck three?  Let’s go people.”

“Major Alenko,” Shepard said.  “Please talk to me in the QEC compartment.”

“Yes, Commander.” Alenko walked through the door in time to observe Shepard’s avatar appearing next to the frame between the projectors and the interface for the imaging gain control.  “Concerns?”

“I have a few, yes Major,” Shepard replied in a whisper quiet voice.  “I’m not sure I trust the specialist to correctly perform the modifications we need done.  And is it wise to send the privates back to guard the entrance hall?”

“There’s no other way out of this area for Traynor,” Kaiden said.  “And I feel confident she’ll perform the needed modifications exactly as we specify… or, more correctly, as specified by Žiuk’Durmah, since our signal will be boosted through its comm array.”

“I didn’t care for the way she looked at me, Kaiden.  I’ve been around long enough to recognize flame coming from someone’s eyes when they’re focused on me.”

“Let it go, Commander.  She’s pissed at your attitude regarding Javik.  She feels you will always take his side over others on this ship, and that is not a position she respects.” Kaiden said.

“Her opinion does not matter.  I think Javik has earned his place on the _Normandy_ ,” Shepard persisted.

“He’s not part of this cycle, Commander.  He’s not Alliance,” Kaiden tried to explain.  “He’s not turian military or salarian STG, and he sure as hell doesn’t belong in the asari commando corps.  As I told you, there are facts that will be revealed when we hold mast.”  Kaiden finished with, “You need to trust my judgment on this, _Commander_ ,” adding weight to her title.  “And yes, this time, I _am_ pulling rank.”

Kaiden turned as Traynor and Garrus entered the compartment.  Traynor snapped a salute to the major while pointedly ignoring Shepard’s avatar.  “What do you need me to do, Major?”

Garrus handed Traynor her toolkit as Kaiden said, “You’ll need to take some instructions from Žiuk’Durmah, Specialist.  Commander Shepard?”

**“Žiuk’Durmah.  We have Specialist Samantha Traynor here.  Please tell us what modifications need to be made to our QEC interface.”**

**_SHEPARD-NORMANDY_** , the voice boomed in reply.  **_This Repository will relay instructions to your omni tools.  I have translated our technical language into Galactic Standard.  Transmission begins…NOW._**

Alenko’s and Garrus’s omni tools activated and lit up simultaneously.  Traynor, having been relieved of her omni tool, had to wait while James brought it to her.  Placing it on her left wrist, it lit up the instant she latched the band, displaying a long list of instructions scrolling up the device’s text screen.  The download completed in a few seconds.

Samantha reviewed the instructions from the top, then looked at Kaiden.  “I realize Tali’Zorah is more than likely working to repair damages for which I am responsible, but I could use another pair of knowledgeable hands for these modifications, Sir.”

“Start doing what you can unaided, Specialist.  I’ll ask Tali to join our little party.”  Kaiden tapped out the request on his omni tool, then sent it along with copies to Campbell and Westmoreland to allow Tali passage into the war room.

“Commander, I believe the specialist will need to move back and forth through the area of your projection.  If you would…?”

Shepard’s wordlessly dissolved her avatar, only to reappear in her former location outside the QEC doorway as Samantha pulled the cover from the imaging gain control.  Releasing the clamps locking the control assembly in place, she freed it from the confines of the cabinetry and set it on the curved shelf just as Tali walked in.  “Hi Samantha.  What do you need me to do?”

“You have the instructions from Žiuk’Durmah?  The transmission link-module behind the imaging platforms needs to be realigned.  You’ll need to remove the left side display panel to gain access to that area.  Use my link analyzer and your omni tool for the mod.”

“On it, Specialist,” Tali replied.  She took the link-analyzer and ducked under the railing.  Avoiding the positively charged display generator pads, she moved to the panels on the chamber’s right rear side, disconnected the power and began removing the display.

Referring to the instructions scrolling on her omni tool, Sam had to split her attention between aligning the gain control and using the haptic keyboard on the left side of the imaging platform control rail.  It was tedious work, requiring a steady hand and clear mind, neither of which she felt in possession of right now.

After two attempts, she called for help.  “Tali, I need you to enter a command line while I keep this gain control steady.”

Tali had her display dismounted, sitting on the deck with its top edge propped on its support mast; she was virtually invisible as she worked in the dark area at the far corner of the display platform.  “Sure thing, Specialist,” she replied in a muffled voice.  “Just need to tweak this little bosh’tet a bit more… a little more… got it.  Let me lock this down and I’ll be right there.”

Tali carefully backed out of the narrow access point and came back ‘round to the railings.  “Ready when you are, Sam,” she said.

Samantha held light pressure on the gain control with a finger and said, “Go!”

Tali entered the command line, which locked the gain control in its correct alignment.  It would have to all be reconfigured once the galactic comm relays were repaired, or perhaps the Reapers would share their technology for high-speed, real-time galaxy-wide communication.  “Thanks, Tali.  I’m going to put this back in its case and lock it all down.  Can you reinstall the display panel?”

“Already on it, Specialist.”

They both finished up at almost the same time.  Samantha moved to the control for the quantum display unit on the right side of the control rail and began to reconfigure it as listed in the instructions on her omni tool.  Tali moved across the back of the imaging chamber and opened the access door for the emitter relays, where she had to pull thirteen of the fifty relays from the board.  She needed to install eleven of these in specific empty sockets on the emitter control panel at the center rear of the chamber; she plugged the two ‘left over’ relays into ‘dummy’ sockets on the board in order to protect their contacts.  Completing this task, she moved back to stand in front of Samantha and said, “I think we are all done, Specialist.  Shall we see if the ship explodes when we turn it on?”

Samantha finished entering the final lines of code before she replied, “I think it’ll operate just fine, Tali.  Thanks for your help.”

“Major Alenko,” she called as Tali ducked under the control rail to rejoin Samantha.  “Communications are good to go.”

Alenko walked into the QEC chamber and looked at the mismatched yet complementary pair of techs.  The _Normandy_ would be fortunate to have just one of these people as crew.  To have them both, a quarian mechanical genius that was an absolute terror as a close-in warrior and a human analytical and communications systems prodigy with hidden talents of her own… he counted himself lucky to know both of them.  “Specialist, you and Tali’Zorah have my gratitude for your hard work.  Tali, you can return to your repair job.  Specialist, please move to the right.  Commander Shepard?” 

As Tali left and Samantha moved to the right (and rear, as far back as possible), Shepard’s avatar reappeared in its former position between the projectors and the imaging gain control.

**“Žiuk’Durmah.  We have the modifications to our QEC completed.  Please contact Harbinger.”**

**_Very well, Shepard-Normandy._** Žiuk’Durmah’s image had reappeared in the projection well in the war room.  Everyone waited for several minutes before something, an image perhaps, began a swirling dance of pixels between the ceiling and floor emitters.  Samantha said, “Major, if I may…?”

Alenko nodded at Samantha; she moved back to the quantum display control and began inputting commands, fingers moving almost too fast to see.  As she entered corrections, the swirling pixels became steadier, gradually resolving into another image from the abyss.  This one, all in high-intensity blues and whites, was a representation of the first of the Reapers, Harbinger.

 **SHEPARD.** The voice sounded incredibly ancient, more so than that of Žiuk’Durmah, as if the Leviathans on which its creation was based were older than the universe itself.  A slight musical quality was noticeable in the sub-tones, no doubt a by-product of the culture that was part of its machine DNA.  There was also a continuous flanging quality, created by the QEC process as Traynor continuously made slight corrections to account for the tremendous rate of closure between the _Normandy_ and Harbinger’s location.  **_This Repository, the first creation of the entity you refer to as the Catalyst, is… pleased you have survived.  We congratulate your… resourcefulness… for implementing a solution to return to a populated system.  Žiuk’Durmah has found purpose in caring for the last Prothean and in providing transportation for Normandy-frigate._**

**“It was the only solution open to us.  What can you tell us of repairs to the relays?”**

**_Relays are being repaired, reinitialized by Repositories.  Many were the relays too extensively damaged to be repaired… their materials will be repurposed, remanufactured into components for new relays; all will be upgraded as reinitialization proceeds._** It paused for several moments, then, ** _Other humans desire knowledge of fate of Normandy-frigate.  This one has not announced survival of Normandy-frigate to other humans, other species.  Many would rejoice upon hearing of this.  What is SHEPARD-NORMANDY’s desire?_**

**“Is it possible for Major Alenko to speak with Fleet Admiral Hackett through this QEC?”**

**_This can be arranged.  As Normandy-frigate’s QEC has been reconfigured to interface with this Repository, it will require our relocation to the Arcturus Stream._ **

**“Harbinger, you realize I am responsible for all this… synthesis, bringing an end to the war, the destruction of the Catalyst,” Shepard said.  “Why assist us?  Why not simply return to dark space?”**

**_THE SHEPARD has, by her actions on the Citadel, given our existence new purpose.  Never again will there be a harvest.  Now the accumulated knowledge of every previously harvested civilization will be shared across the galaxy._ ** **_That THE SHEPARD survived the best efforts of this Repository to harvest her DNA is notable.  That DNA of THE SHEPARD is now part of my own micro-structures, of all Repositories, is an extraordinary thing.  For billions of cycles there has only been ‘harvest’.  No more.  The new purpose of our existence is to share knowledge._ **

**“Please arrange for a conference with Admiral Hackett,”** Shepard said.  **“Do NOT reveal to him, or anyone, that THE SHEPARD is alive in the Normandy computer.  Do not reveal the existence of Normandy-frigate to anyone.  When we talk to Admiral Hackett, he will be the first to have this information.”**

**_It will be as you wish, Shepard-Normandy.  I believe the words are ‘Thank you’... for sacrificing your physical life in order to give purpose to our own lives.  This Repository will begin research to discover a way to restore your intelligence to a human body._ **

Shepard asked, **“Do you believe that is a possibility?”**

**Our technology is partly the reason you were able to regain your life after two years of being dead.  The Illusive Man used technology stolen from ‘Reapers’... to have a cloned body made for you.  It is known by us that you fought and killed a clone of yourself while on the Citadel.  If it can be done once, it can be done again.  We will offer this to you if it is feasible.**

**“Thank you.  Signing you out, Harbinger.  Signing you out, Žiuk’Durmah.”**

“Alenko, schedule ‘Mast’ for 0930 tomorrow,” Shepard said.  “This business with Traynor has gone on long enough.  We need to get things resolved fast so I can have my comm tech working without restraints.”

“Traynor, you are confined to your quarters… you sleep in your own bunk tonight,” she continued.  “Garrus will escort you without restraints.  I trust there’ll be no further problems?”

Traynor looked at Alenko, then at Shepard’s avatar.  “Aye-aye, Commander.  Thank you.”

Garrus touched her elbow, gently guiding her out into the war room.  “I’ll get your things brought up from the compartment on deck four, Specialist.  You need to get some sleep.  It’s almost 2300.”

* * *

_**A/N:** We have seen the first glimpse of Samantha’s life before the Navy.  I envisioned her as a combination of Jason Bourne and Evelyn Salt, someone with a hair trigger that can operate alone or with a team.  I never saw any reason for her to be such a shrinking violet on board the Normandy, except the secrecy pledge - a non-disclosure agreement - she was forced to sign before getting out of Special Ops.  Hope everyone enjoys!_


	19. The Hearing

_True courage is about knowing not when to take a life, but when to spare one_ \- J.R.R.  Tolkien

* * *

  *** DECK THREE • LIFE SUPPORT *  
** **– 2300 - 0130 HOURS –**

Tali’Zorah returned to Thane’s former desk, sat down and studied EDI’s eye assembly.  The forward facing hemisphere contained some of the most delicate components; the internal lens consisted of a clear silicone polymer possessing circularly flexible characteristics, similar to its counterpart in an organic human eye; this was connected to a micro-sized control circuit that also controlled operation of the iris.  Fortunately, the outer housing had absorbed the impact from Traynor’s fist; the only real damage was to the light sensor module, which was now repaired; the control circuit and the iris assembly had also received damage… these would really test her ability to perform meticulously exacting repairs.

In addition, the forward hemisphere was slightly crushed… this could be reshaped by forcing it onto a ‘positive’ form, which she had replicated by employing her omni tool’s 3D fabricator.  This had to be precisely done, or the image received at the rear of the eye would be out of focus or distorted.  She removed the retainer/actuator ring with its internal lens; she next removed the outboard mounted control circuit and set all these fragile components aside.  The only remaining obstructions on the inside were the mounting tabs for the lens retainer, which would fall into niches she’d engineered into the positive form.  Inspecting the outer edge of the half-section under the computer controlled microscope, she was thrilled to discover a code reading ‘uit·49.357kHz/31.7µm’.

Reaching into her caddy, she pulled out a case containing a very specialized tool, something she didn’t have many opportunities to use on a ship as new and modern as the Normandy.  The code on EDI’s eye meant its shape had been ‘set’ and locked through use of ultrasonic impact treatment at a frequency of 49.357 kHz with displacement amplitude of 31.7 micrometers.  All she needed to do was place the hemisphere firmly on the fabricated fixture, set her tool’s magnetostrictive transducers to the correct frequency and amplitude, then touch the output column to the metal.  The resulting harmonic resonance would force the metal hemisphere to conform exactly to the shape of her fixture and would ‘lock’ it in size and shape, with no further reforming necessary.

Setting the tool’s output to the listed specs, she pressed the orb firmly onto the fixture, then placed the output column against the radius near the top and pressed the actuator button.  She felt the faint vibration within the tool’s housing, and held her breath as she observed the metal orb.  It was moving… shrinking infinitesimally as it tightly conformed to the shape of the fixture.  Tali held the tool in place for a three-count after the orb stopped moving, then switched it off and set it down.  The orb was now hugging the fixture in a tight embrace, locked into its original shape, just as it had been when some anonymous individual working for Cerberus assembled it into an operating synthetic eye for the future Dr Eva… the future EDI.

She carefully removed the restored forward hemisphere from the fixture and examined the inside with the aid of her microscope.  The lens retainer mounting tabs were exactly as they had been; she immediately reset the lens retainer into place, then mounted the control circuit.

Inspecting this item at increased magnification, she found that here, as with the light sensor module, there were several of the less-than-hair-diameter wires loose from their connectors.  She repaired these in the same manner she had repaired the loose wiring on the sensor module.  Turning her attention to the damaged iris assembly, she yawned and stretched as she checked the readout on the chronometer above the door.  “Keelah!” she thought.  “I’ve been here that long?”

She decided to perform these repairs after some sleep.  She had to repair and reinstall the iris assembly, then reassemble the eye, refit it in EDI’s eye socket, and repair and realign her left eyelids.  Tali placed her ultrasonic tool in its carry-case and set it back in her tool caddy, then left the environmental compartment for her own bed.

* * *

 *** DECK THREE • STARBOARD SIDE, MED BAY *  
** **– 0130 HOURS –**

Liara T’Soni had never, _ever_ hurt so much.  “Doctor Chakwas,” she said in a soft tone that nevertheless reflected the pain she was feeling.  She pressed the ‘call’ button on the edge of the bed.  ‘By the goddess, have I been abandoned in this place?’ she thought silently.  It hurt to move.  It hurt to swallow.  It hurt to breathe.  She touched the auto-dose switch on the edge of the bed, even though she knew the reservoir had been depleted by her repeated attempts to get some relief from the throbbing in her face.  She had been injured before, usually bullet wounds, requiring local anesthetic to keep the pain at bay.  This was so much worse.  A broken nose, broken teeth and a dislocated jaw.  The synthetic nanites in her bloodstream were performing repairs to her nose and the fingers on her right hand, but the sharp throbbing pain from her nose and jaw were just too much to ignore.  She would be undergoing surgery by 0900 to repair her teeth and reset her jaw.  She just hoped the doctor was as knowledgeable about asari anatomy as she was about humans.  “Doctor Chakwas,” she said, a bit louder this time, instantly regretting the action.  Damn!  That hurt!

The door segments hissed open as Karen Chakwas entered the room.  Taking one look at Liara’s pained expression, she knew the answer to the question before she voiced it.  “I take it all the pain meds have worn off and there are no reserves left in your ‘on demand’ container?”

Liara was in no mood to engage in light conversation.  “I have never experienced this much pain, ever!” she hissed through gritted teeth.  “I need something stronger than what you’ve been giving me.  I don’t want to wake up until the pain is gone.  Please?”

Doctor Chakwas opened the middle of three overhead cabinets to the right of the entry hatch and removed a liquid filled, clear flexible container, then reached into the top right drawer to grab a biojet injector and nozzle.  She picked up a small container of yet another liquid from the drawer and mounted it on top of the barrel, then brought everything over to Liara’s bed.  “I’m going to give you an injection, Liara.  It’s pretty potent stuff - supposed to be capable of stopping a charging Krogan… it should mask the pain you’re feeling and put you to sleep for eight hours or so.  The container is a refill for your ‘on demand’ dispenser.  Tomorrow I’ll reset you’re lower jaw under general anesthesia, and either repair your fractured teeth or extract them and implant a new pair.  We’ll take another look at your nose after the swelling in your face goes down, but I think it will heal on its own.  By the way, you have the makings of a beautiful pair of black eyes.”

“I just want this ordeal to be over with,” Liara replied.  Looking at the injector, she said, “Do it.”

Chakwas produced an anti-microbial swab; she used one end to clean the tip of the nozzle on the injector, and the opposite end to clean the skin on Liara’s upper arm.  “Good night, my dear,” Chakwas said as she touched the nozzle to Liara’s upper arm and pulled the trigger.  Liara heard the ‘Pfs-s-s-s-t’ of the injector, then… nothing.  Chakwas checked her vital signs as Liara drifted into unconsciousness.  Everything was within normal asari parameters, so she swapped the ‘on-demand’ containers, then placed the biojet assembly into a sterile container and locked it in the cabinet under her desk.  Checking Liara’s vitals once more, she turned down the lights and left for the comfort of her own bed.

* * *

_**\- YEAR 2180** CE · AUGUST · CARTAGENA STATION, NEMEAN ABYSS -_

_The cloaked and hooded human female had carefully moved through two of the three cargo areas after leaving the small office behind.  There were few lights in these compartments, something that worked in her favor as she silently moved past the exposed frames that formed each compartment’s sub-structure.  The man she was looking for was, according to an extremely unreliable source, in sub-level five, section fourteen.  She happened to believe he was in the next compartment ahead… sub-level one, section four._

_She peered around a stack of containers into the next area.  “Dammit Grief, where the ‘ell are you?”  she thought.  Deciding she needed a better viewing angle, she activated her omni tool and touched two controls.  Her cloaking device engaged first, then the micro mass-field generator came online, lowering her personal mass to that of a bird.  While she wasn’t floating, her lack of mass made it infinitely easier to jump unseen to the top of a seven meter stack of shipping containers.  Once on the top, she cut the mass-field generator, as it consumed a lot of power and she didn’t know when she’d be able to recharge the cells.  Flattening herself to the top of the container, she crawled to the far side for a look into the next area._

_Systems Alliance Operations Chief Griffen ‘Griff’ Buchanan was crouched outside the main entrance to the offices at the far side of the third freight storage area.  He had been working his way through the warehouses, searching for containers from the Parnitha System and had found five, all in this area of this three-section cargo warehouse.  The item he was looking for was most likely in one of them.  He was in the process of hacking the lock on the door when his omni tool chirped once.  He took a quick look at the text and smiled.  Finishing with the lock, he sent a one-word answer to the text just received, then closed his omni tool and silently slid the door open as he engaged his personal cloak and waited._

_One of the shadows at the end of this office block began to move slowly is his direction, seeming to ripple the air as the slight amount of ambient light distorted and reflected around the shadow.  As the shadow drew near, it whispered a curse and his name: “Dammit, Griff, when are you going to get some surgery to eliminate that scar?”  The shadow stopped at the far side of the door and crouched.  “It’s the only thing I have to mention in order to jog people’s memories.”_

_Buchanan chuckled softly.  “Made finding me easier, right?  Besides, I’m told women find facial scars on men attractive.  You don’t agree?”_

_“I’m not a krogan,” she said in as snarky a tone as she could muster while whispering.  “And I was misdirected.  Little blue bitch in ‘The Bottle and Cask’ wanted me to go to sub-level five, section fourteen… long way down and halfway across the station from here.  Makes me a bit suspicious.”  Looking around, she said, “Let’s get inside.”_

_“Hold on.  Need to look for cameras or other bugs.”_

_“None in the office I came through,” she responded.  “We do need to watch out for C-Pat, though.  I believe our smuggler friends have bought them off.”_

_Buchanan grunted in acknowledgement, then slowly moved just enough to look into the corners and ceiling visible from his side of the door opening; pulling back slightly, he waited for Traynor to inspect the side observable from her position._

_“Camera,” she whispered, “top center, left wall.  Standby.”  Still in a crouched position, she rolled around to her left, presenting her back to the door in order to shield the ultraviolet glow of her heavily modified omni tool.  She entered several commands, the last of which set the camera to show a continuous display of this office as it was the minute before the chief slid the door open.  To anyone in the C-Pat security office, the time stamp on the monitors would continue to increment, but that would be the only accurate portion of the picture, as the monitored area would appear dark and empty.  “Go,” she hissed._

_Griff slid into the room and took a combat stance as he waited for Traynor.  Sensing her presence behind him, he relaxed slightly and decloaked, turning around in time to see Traynor reappear as well.  “Here’s a terminal.  Just have to… ” she trailed off as she activated her omni tool and hacked the terminal, instructing it to sever its ties to the station’s server.  “… now I can access the database for this warehouse area with alerting every four-eyed bastard on the station.  Let me have the container numbers we need to check.”  Traynor sat in front of the terminal and entered several queries, then entered the number of each shipping container Buchanan had found.  The terminal responded with copies of the manifest for each, listing the contents by name, type and quantity.  There were no single items in any of the containers.  Traynor cross checked the shipping containers against each other, and discovered that two were each carrying two identical items, listed as_ ‘JANIRI, RELIC, FIGURINE, TWO (2)’

 _“Looks like we’ll have to check containers 002180084224 and 084346 for this relic,” Traynor said.  “Each container lists two identical items inside.  Our info says there is only one.  Are there four total, or is there really only one?  Probably listed this way so two containers have to be checked to find it.  W_ _hat’s so important about this thing anyway?”  she asked.  “If it’s a stolen artifact, shouldn’t the asari military be all over this?  They all have biotics, for craps sake.  And where the ‘ell is Xiùlán?  She should have been here by now.”_

_“Keep your shirt on.  She’ll be here,” Buchanan whispered._

_“Hope she didn’t follow directions from that asari waitress,” came the snarky reply._

_Traynor heard the faint trilling of an alarm of some sort; she looked at Griff as she closed the terminal, reconnected it to its server and asked in a worried tone, “Think that’s for us, or did Yuán get discovered?”_

_“Activate your cloak,” he replied.  “Let’s get out into the storage area so we have room to maneuver.”  They split up as they exited the office and headed out into the warehouse…_

* * *

*** PRESENT DAY · NORMANDY DECK THREE • CREW QUARTERS *  
** **– 0635 HOURS –**

 _…  as the sound got louder and seemingly closer.  It immediately sh_ ut off as Traynor hastily sat up and grabbed her left wrist.  Damned omni tool.  She’d been dreaming about _that_ mission again.  At least she was in her own bed this morning.  Checking the time, she decided there was just enough for a quick shower and a bite.  Better look her professional best for this bloody hearing.  Grabbing bath supplies from her locker, she hurried to the crew shower across the hall.  It was going to be an interesting morning…

* * *

 *** DECK TWO • PORT SIDE AIRLOCK *  
** **– 0700 HOURS –**

Garrus Vakarian had been unable to sleep after escorting Samantha Traynor to the crew quarters on deck three and seeing that her personal effects were brought up from the port cargo compartment.  Standing at the entrance to the port side airlock, he felt torn.  In the turian military, no one would have dared refuse an order from a superior, be it a computer entity or a flesh and blood person.  Turians needing to release built up tensions, to occasionally ‘blow off steam’, as Shepard had once termed it, did so in controlled situations.

Human military, particularly the Navy, seemed to be run… looser.  Rules and regulations, of course, but Garrus knew human officers had a good deal of latitude when dealing with the people they commanded.  If they chose to, they could overlook minor transgressions such as fighting.  The specialist had refused two commands to stand down prior to using only her fists to disable two people without using biotics or weapons.  Unfortunately, she had seriously injured Liara T’Soni, which Garrus believed was the main reason she’d been arrested.  Still, he found Sam’s abilities quite remarkable.

“So, Garrus, are you going to lead the firing squad?”  Garrus looked down the tactical passageway and saw Joker walking towards him from the CIC.

“Hmmm, what?”

“Firing squad?  Traynor?”

“Why would we want to execute the specialist, Joker?  Makes no sense,” Garrus replied.

“Makes perfect sense to me,” Jeff replied as he moved past Garrus.  “She tried to kill EDI.”

“Actually, Jeff, she would have had to strike me with a lot more force to do any serious damage to my core processor,” EDI said as she looked around from her own chair on the bridge.  “She could have permanently disabled me in any number of ways once I was lying on the deck.”

Garrus looked at her and realized her ‘hair’ was loose - individual strands floated around her face and over the black patch covering her left eye socket, in sharp contrast to her hair and the silvery complexion of her face.  “How are you doing, EDI?”

“I am… coping, with the loss of my eye, Garrus.”  She gently touched her mouth and continued, “My mouth is healing, and Tali’Zorah assures me she will have my eye ready for reinstallation by start of second shift today.  It will be nice to have true binocular vision once again.”

“Still think Traynor needs to die, Joker?”

“Well, maybe we could have her go a few rounds with Lieutenant Vega… you know, so she could see what it feels like to be on the receiving end,” Joker said in his typical snarky tone.

“Joker, I can say with absolute certainty that Jimmy Vega would never lay a glove on her, and he would be out cold in less than three minutes.”  Garrus brought up his omni tool and sent a text to Major Alenko.  “I’m going outside for a bit of air.  Point the major in my direction when he arrives.”

Joker looked at EDI, than back at Garrus as he opened the inner hatch.  “You sure about that?  Vega is one tough Marine.”

EDI answered for Garrus.  “Jeff, Specialist Traynor possesses some very unique skills.  It would be unwise for any on this vessel to test the limits of those skills.”

Garrus stood on the platform and looked around the vast chamber within which the Normandy was moored.  Approaching the control column, he was checking Žiuk’Durmah’s position (still quite a distance left to travel) and speed (unbelievable that anything so damn big could move so fast!) when the outer hatch unlatched and opened.  Major Kaidan Alenko moved to join him.  “Thanks for meeting me here,” Garrus said, his voice low.  “We need to talk, and I want this kept between you and me.”

Kaidan appeared puzzled.  “You don’t want Shepard read into this little chat?  Why?”

“Keep your voice down, Major,” Garrus replied.  “Remember the listening devices astern?  I think they’re more sensitive and omni-directional than we know.”  Garrus walked to the outermost edge of the platform and faced forward.  Kaidan joined him, taking a similar position.  “We… you… need to officially get Traynor off the hook, without involving Shepard.  You should be in charge of this boat, Major.  You outranked Shepard when she walked on this ship; her rank has not changed, and now she’s on board as the ship’s computer.  That has become a big part of Traynor’s problem.”

“I’m told you went to speak with her yesterday, before we had her help reconfigure our QEC,” Kaidan replied.  “If you don’t mind my asking, what did you discuss?”

Garrus thought to himself, _‘Typical Kaidan Alenko… always polite to a fault.’_   before answering.  “When I talked to her, Major, she told me she could have killed Javik and T’Soni.  I believe she could have permanently disabled EDI.  If a report on this incident goes in her ‘jacket’, well… ” he let the word trail into his sub-harmonics, then, “… a lot of very unpleasant history… Alliance history, might be revealed upon your return to Alliance space.  It is history I expect the Alliance would rather not have to remember.  Have you ever heard of CvO?”

Kaidan nodded his head.  “I did a bit of research into Traynor’s background last night.  From the paltry amount of data available, looks like she was involved in black ops, which would explain her hand-to-hand expertise.”

“I suggest you talk to Traynor before the hearing,” Garrus said.  He turned his head to look at the human beside him.  “I seem to remember an instance of a young human biotic killing a turian instructor at a school… hmmm, what was it called… BAaT, is that correct?  Gagarin Station?”

Kaidan, blushing furiously, looked sharply at Garrus and replied, “That’s ancient history, Vakarian.  Why would you even bring that up?”

Garrus made a noise with his sub-harmonics, almost a grunt of disdain, then replied in a whisper, “The situation then?  The situation now?  I don’t see much difference, Major, except our assailant didn’t lose control of biotics.”  As Kaidan lowered his eyes and slowly turned away, Garrus added, “Just so you know, I will be with her at the hearing, Major, and will happily go on record as supporting Traynor’s actions against Javik, T’Soni and EDI.”  With that, he turned and headed back to the Normandy’s airlock.

* * *

 *** ARCTURUS STREAM • L5 LAGRANGIAN POINT of THEMIS *  
** *** SSV Hong Kong II • QEC COMPARTMENT ***

Esiz’Qür had approached to within 1.5 km of the Hong Kong II and hailed the ship, asking to speak to the captain, William Cody.

Cody entered the QEC compartment, followed shortly by Commander Xiùlán.  “What can we do for you, Esiz’Qür?  Has the SSV Normandy been located?”

**_This Repository has some data regarding the fate of Normandy-Frigate.  FIRST ONE, the Repository known to the Alliance as HARBINGER, is in transit to this system.  It should arrive within approximately fifteen standard days.  It must relay data to Hackett-Fleet Admiral regarding fate of Normandy-Frigate._ **

“That is not very informative, Esiz’Qür.  If Harbinger is on its way here, you must know what it is going to tell the Admiral.”

**_THE SHEPARD chose synthesis to break the cycle.  Her choice severed the ties each Repository had with others.  This Repository is able to exchange data with other Repositories; other Repositories can exchange date with this one.  However, we now are alone, individuals, as your species is alone.  Where we once could always feel the thoughts of any and all other Repositories and they could always feel and touch ours, that is no longer the case.  It is… an odd sensation.  This one is curious.  How do you exist… how do you live all alone with no connections to others of your kind?_ **

“We have never known any other life.  We verbally communicate with each other.  The asari are able to join minds for short periods.  The only species that had what we call a ‘hive mind’ were the geth.”  Cody paused for a minute, gathering his thoughts.  “I have read the reports of Commander Shepard’s and Admiral Tali’Zorah vas Normandy’s actions on Rannoch.  Ending the conflict there resulted in geth becoming individuals, same as their creators.  It would seem all of us, organic and synthetic, are now more alike than different, Esiz’Qür.”

**_I see.  You have presented this one with information to ponder.  We will return to our task of repairing the relay.  Please inform Hackett-Fleet Admiral of our conversation.  This one will return when FIRST ONE’s arrival is eminent._ **

“You still have not told us,” Cody persisted.  “Do you have information on the fate of the Normandy?”

**_FIRST ONE has information of NORMANDY-Frigate.  That data has not been shared with this Repository.  That data will only be shared with Hackett-Fleet Admiral._ **

Cody looked at his XO and smiled.  “Logging you out, Esiz’Qür.”

Xiùlán, silent during the conversation, said, “That smile, I’m guessing, means something?”

Cody, nodding his head slightly, answered with, “I think the Normandy survived the firing of the Crucible, Yuán.  I think it survived and is somehow on its way back to Alliance space.”

The commander replied, “That would be excellent news, if true.  But what makes you think the ship survived?”

“Not just the ship, Yuán.  The crew.  It’s just a hunch, a gut feeling.”  Cody rubbed the side of his face, something done unconsciously when deep in thought.  “They didn’t make the rendezvous.  They couldn’t hit Charon before it was disabled by the energy wave.  I think the wave tossed them into uncharted space.  Keep this under your cap, Commander.  Just between you and me, got it?”

“Aye-aye, Sir.”

* * *

 *** NORMANDY DECK THREE • CREW’S MESS *  
** **– 0755 HOURS –**

Samantha nearly choked on her tea as Major Alenko asked from behind her, “Mind if I join you, Specialist?”

Sputtering and coughing, she finally regained control and said, “Please do, Sir.”

“I didn’t mean to startle you, Samantha,” Kaidan said.  “You okay?”

“Yes sir.  Just wasn’t expecting anyone to talk to me,” she replied, wiping her eyes.  “I’m being treated like some kind of pariah by most of the crew.”

“Last I heard, you were still confined to quarters.”

“Body has to eat, Major.  I’m getting ready for the hearing.”  Motioning to the full plate in front of her, she continued, “Thought I’d get a good breakfast before I’m put on half rations, Sir.  Seemed easier to eat here than try to take it all back to the crew quarters.”

“About the hearing, Specialist,” Kaidan said quietly.  “I need to hear a bit about your background.  I did a bit of research last night.  This morning Garrus suggested I ask you about CvO.”

“What did he tell you?”  she asked.

“That you chose to not kill three people yesterday.  Funny thing, here all along I thought… ” he motioned to the area around him, “… we all thought you were just a technician… a communications equipment expert, a QEC wizard.”

“As excellent a starship pilot as Jeff Moreau is, I am just as excellent as an operations and intelligence specialist,” she replied.  “A part of what I did in black ops involved hacking secure comm systems in a manner that was untraceable.”

“There would seem to be a lot about you we do not know, Samantha,” Kaidan said, a bit of wonder in his voice.  “What level of black ops expertise do you possess?”

“CvO-7, Major.  I don’t need guns, though my proficiency with firearms equals or surpasses any marine on this vessel, including you, Sir.  As I told Garrus, I just need to be close.”

“Then how was Javik able to subdue you when he attacked?”

“Program was terminated end of 2182… people that dreamed it up apparently didn’t take biotics into account,” she said as she continued to eat her breakfast.  “Javik hit me with a _dark channel_ just as I fired my M-5,” she said in a low voice.  “The pulse drained my strength.  I couldn’t do a damn thing to keep him from grabbing me,” Tears began to well up as she continued, “Sonovabitch tried to strangle me, Major.  I’d have been dead if Tali… ” Sam paused to rein in her emotions.  “… if Tali hadn’t unloaded on him with her shotgun.”

“Yet you didn’t kill him when you were presented with an opportunity,” Kaidan observed.  “Reason?”

She chewed another mouthful and swallowed before responding.  “As I told Garrus, I was very good at my job.  If we were recovering an object, we worked in the shadows.  We disabled opponents quietly, with a hospital their destination after the encounter.  We were trained to kill only if there was no other choice.”  Sam cradled her mug in both hands as she sipped her tea, eyes focused in the distance.  She whispered over the rim of her mug, “I chose not to kill Javik.  He is the last of his race.  I don’t want to be remembered for completing the extinction of the Protheans.  Of course, without a female bug with which to mate, extinction for him is a fait accompli.”

Kaidan thought for several moments while Samantha finished eating.  “So, why turn on EDI?  Why attack Dr  T’Soni?”

Samantha finished her tea and set the mug upside down on the table before replying.  “A huge part of our CvO training involved automatic reactions to specific offensive actions by an enemy.  EDI grabbed my upper arm and spun me around to face her.  At that point, all my reactions came automatically… I wasn’t even thinking.  I punched EDI with my right fist, ducked under T’Soni’s sucker punch, came back up and punched T’Soni twice, then crouched and spun to take EDI’s legs out from under her.  Simple.”

Alenko was impressed, something he was careful not to show as he brought out a data pad and handed it to the specialist.  “Okay, Specialist.  Take a look at this list of charges and the proposed penalties for each one.  Tell me if you agree to them.”

Samantha read the charges, which were pretty much as she’d been told yesterday.  The penalties listed added up to being relieved of her duties and confined to the port side cargo/holding area for thirty days, along with forfeiture of half her pay for 60 days, said forfeiture to help offset the value of the projection device that had been smashed during EDI’s fall.  A reprimand would be entered into her service record as well.  “Rather harsh, I think.  The reprimand I understand, but what the ‘ell good does it do the Normandy to relieve me of duty for thirty days?”

“I did some research into various NJP’s for your offenses, Specialist,” Kaidan patiently explained.  “The proposed penalties are pretty lenient, and probably the maximum my rank allows me to issue.  As you are embarked on this vessel, you cannot refuse NJP, nor can you appeal my decision.  You can, if you wish, appeal the severity of your punishment once we’re back in Alliance territory.”

Traynor gathered up her plate, cup and utensils.  “Do what you have to, Sir… I cannot undo the damages, the injuries I caused.  In retrospect, it was a mistake for me to be in the same compartment with Javik.  It would be a mistake in the future as well.” 

Samantha took her breakfast dishes and utensils to the cleanup area, returning to face Kaidan as he stood up.  “If anyone is to blame in all this, it is the Systems Alliance, Sir.  They created a loaded weapon with a hair trigger, a weapon that is always ready to fire.  They created me, Major, just a surely as Cerberus created Jack… Subject Zero.  She cannot change what she is…  I cannot change what I am.  I’ll see you in the conference room at 0930.”

* * *

 *** DECK TWO • CONFERENCE ROOM *  
** **– 0830 HOURS –**

Kaidan Alenko entered the conference room with five data pads and set them in a pile on the table.  “Shepard, you here?  We need to talk,” he said as he closed the door.

Shepard’s avatar appeared in the center of the table and snarked, “I’m everywhere Kaidan.”

Alenko arched one eyebrow at the spinning dodecahedron and replied with a snarky answer, “Haven’t seen you in the men’s head yet.”

“Well… I haven’t been invited in yet.  You offering?”

Kaidan shook his head.  “Tali took all the cameras, audio pickups and holo-emitters out of both sides, remember?  Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about this business with Samantha Traynor.”

Shepard’s avatar dimmed, an indication she was retrieving data.  “Alenko, what is there to discuss?  You will be running the hearing.  I will not be visible.  If you like, I will disable the microphones in here so you can keep the hearing between you, the Lieutenants and Specialist Traynor.”

“That would be appreciated,” Kaidan nodded.  “Also, I had a meeting with Garrus at 0710 this morning.  We met on the docking platform outside the airlock.  He feels you being in charge of this ship is part of Traynor’s problem.  Said I outranked you before… your action on the Citadel.  He thinks I should still be in charge of the ship.”

“Seems to me we explicitly covered this issue before.  Are you questioning my authority again, Alenko?”  Shepard’s avatar had gotten brighter and grown in size.

“You are no longer human, Rachaél.  And the fact your avatar is bigger and brighter indicates you are attempting to bully me into submission.  I’m not your enemy here, you are… you’re your own worst enemy these days.  I’d like to see that stop.  And I didn’t ask you in here to argue about this.  We need to discuss Samantha’s hearing.”

“Kaidan, I… ”

“Dammit, Samantha could have easily killed Javik and Liara.  She could have permanently disabled EDI.  If a report on this incident goes in her ‘jacket’, it’d be like turning over a rock,” Kaidan said.  “Many things long buried would see the light of day upon our return to Alliance space… things the Alliance would rather no one know about.”

“My research uncovered her apparent involvement with an Alliance run black ops program after she joined.  After talking with her at breakfast?  Shepard, she’s an Alliance created version of Jack, minus the attitude and biotics,” Kaidan said.

“So, what do you propose, Major?”  Shepard asked, all signs of intimidation gone.  “Forget that I have a personal stake in Liara’s happiness… her well-being.  What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to bend the regs a bit, so please do both of us a huge favor, huh?  Remove your presence from this room.  Power everything down… audio pickups, holo-emitters, all of it.”

“Logging you out Major, until 1100 hours.”

* * *

 *** DECK TWO • CONFERENCE ROOM ***  
** **– 0925 HOURS –**

Major Alenko picked up two data pads and set them at the forward end of the table; the other three he placed at the end closest to the war room.  He opened his omni tool and sent a text to Privates Campbell and Westmoreland, instructing them to find and escort Specialist Traynor to the conference room; he watched them through the windows as they read the texts, glanced in his direction then left together.  He then texted Lieutenants Cortez and Adams, requesting their presence for this hearing.  His final text was to Garrus, requesting his presence in support of Traynor.

Kaidan sighed, knowing this last was a bit irregular.  In his defense, the presiding officer was allowed some leeway in conducting NJP.  As he waited, he continued to think about Traynor.  What a total waste of her talents during the Reaper war, keeping her on this ship.  She would have been an incredible asset to any ground team.

He looked up as Cortez and Adams, each resplendent in their dress blues, entered the conference room and took a position on either side.  “Good morning, gentlemen.  How are you doing?”

Cortez looked at Adams and replied, “I’d rather be flying my Trident with ten bandits on my ass than be participating in this… _hearing_.”  The scorn in his voice was obvious.

Adams echoed Steve’s sentiment with, “Is this really necessary, sir?  In all my time on the original _Normandy_ and on this ship, I have never heard of NJP being levied against anyone.  Just seems so… I don’t know, so anti-esprit de corps.”

Alenko tended to agree, but wouldn’t give voice to that sentiment.  “We have to follow through with the process, Greg.  It’s like a snowball rolling down hill, picking up speed and weight.  Too big to stop, can’t stand in its way, ya know?”  Then, “Here comes Traynor.”

Wearing her own dress blues, Samantha Traynor actually marched down the short hall and into the conference room; executing perfect 90-degree pivot turns at each change in direction.  Her final two turns, executed one footstep apart, brought her to the end of the table facing Major Alenko.  Snapping to attention, she saluted the three officers and said, “OS/IS, Traynor, Samantha, CWO, Alliance Navy, Service Number 8256-DH-7968, reporting as ordered, Sir.”  If she was nervous or worried, it was not evident in her expression or voice.

The three officers returned Traynor’s salute as Alenko said, “At ease, Specialist.  You may take a seat.”  He indicated to the lieutenants on either side to follow suit, then sat down in his own chair.  “There is a data pad in front of each of you… ” here he picked up the one in front of himself, “… that has the agenda for this hearing.  The charges and proposed punishment for each offense are listed there as well.  These have been discussed with and agreed to by Specialist Traynor.”

Alenko paused as Garrus Vakarian entered quietly and took a seat next to Traynor.  “Thank you for joining us, General Vakarian.”  Alenko remotely closed the door and used his omni tool to render the glass walls reflective on the outside.  “I was just introducing everyone to the specifics of this hearing.  Everything is on the data pad in front of you.  Do you have anything to say for the record?”

“Hmmm,” Garrus seemed to clear his throat.  “I have talked to the specialist in private, and find nothing in our conversation to indicate she is not being truthful about her past or about what happened in the compartments provided for Javick by Žiuk’Durmah.  I can produce an impartial witness to what happened inside those compartments, if you wish.”

Alenko wanted to know, “What other witness, Garrus?  No one else was there.”

“Žiuk’Durmah was there, Major.”  Garrus activated his omni tool.  “It forwarded a vidfile to my omni tool after I talked with you on the platform this morning.  Have a look, gentlemen.  I find the specialist’s skills most impressive.  I believe she would make a fine turian.”

“Garrus, no.  Please don’t do this, I beg you,” Traynor pleaded.  “It’s not necessary… ”

Alenko looked at Samantha, than at Garrus.  “The specialist is correct, Garrus.  It won’t be necessary.”  Garrus hid his disappointment with a chuckle as he deactivated his omni tool.  “Suit yourself, Major.”

“Specialist, will you accept the proposed punishment for the offenses specified in the document you have before you?”  Traynor looked at Garrus, who nodded almost imperceptibly.  Standing, she answered, “Sir, the information contained in the penalty column is different.  I was informed I would be confined to the port side cargo/holding area for thirty days, along with forfeiture of half my pay for 60 days.  This data pad shows the confinement is suspended with no mention of forfeiture.  The reprimand is still listed.  I don’t understand… ” she trailed off, looking at the three officers, then at Garrus.

Alenko made a show of studying his own data pad, then leaned over to confer with Steve, then with Greg.  “Specialist, it would appear your proposed punishments have been modified.  That being the case, it is my decision that the punishments originally proposed be suspended.  A reprimand citing this incident will be placed in your service record.  If there are no further incidents of this sort for a period of… six months, the reprimand and all mention of these events, including this hearing, will be removed from your permanent record.”  Kaidan stood.  “Will that be acceptable, Specialist Traynor?”

Glancing at Garrus, who simply flared his mandibles, she replied quietly, “Yes Sir.  Totally.”

Alenko had a parting bit of advice: “Might I suggest you offer an apology to EDI, and you probably should really apologize to Dr  T’Soni.  They may, or may not accept it, but you need to make the attempt.  Dismissed, Specialist.”

“Yes Sir.  Thank you, Sir.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I have been giving a lot of thought to Traynor’s back-story, and I really only have head canon to run with, same as with Shepard on Mindoir. I’m writing Sam as 21 years old during the flashback mission, 27 years old (Shepard is 32 years old) during the events of Mass Effect 3. I haven’t seen anything in her dossier on the ME Wiki that would indicate she could not have been in covert ops for 18 months or so after she enlisted. It seems logical to assume the Alliance would require her to serve after paying for her college education, so there’s no reason to think she could not have been trained in covert ops, or transferred to serve on naval ships after the program was terminated. My designation for her of ‘OS/IS’ translates to Operations Specialist / Intelligence Specialist, (thus, Specialist Traynor) and CWO is Chief Warrant Officer. I feel the shrinking violet/fish out of water routine on the Normandy is a bit of a self-imposed disguise for her. And besides, it’s called Fan Fiction for a reason, right? Thanks to all for reading!


	20. Friendships Rekindled

_A broken friendship that is mended through forgiveness can be even stronger than it once was -_ Stephen Richards _, Forgiveness and Love Conquers All: Healing the Emotional Self_

* * *

 *** DECK TWO • CONFERENCE ROOM ***  
**– 0950 –**

Samantha Traynor waited for Major Alenko and Lieutenants Cortez and Adams to stand.  She snapped to attention and saluted as they did so, holding her salute until each of the three had responded.  When the three men had left the conference room, she turned to Garrus as he stood and made ready to follow them.  “Garrus, a moment, please?”

He turned to face her and replied, “At ease, Specialist.  What do you need?”

“I just wanted to thank you… for being… for having my six.  It doesn’t seem like anyone else is willing to cut me any slack since I messed up T’Soni’s face.”

“Hmmm, it’s been my experience, Samantha, that humans have extremely short memories where this sort of thing is concerned.  You hit Liara T’Soni.  That is not something that will endear you to her or the crew, given that Rachaél is her bond mate.  But… ” reaching out, Garrus gathered her into his arms, hugging her tightly.  “… they will forget all about this,” he purred in her ear, “in less time than you’d believe.”

Releasing her, he added, “Liara is in surgery right now.  I was just going down there.  Would you care to accompany me?”

“Could we go find EDI first?  I understand she’s wearing an eye patch, like some kind of hybrid/synthetic pirate.  I would like to speak with her before I go see Liara.”

“Of course, Specialist.  She’s on the bridge.”

* * *

  *** DECK THREE • STARBOARD SIDE, MED BAY *  
– 0900 - 1030 –**

Dr Karen Chakwas had been working on Liara’s lower jaw since just after 0930.  She had managed to reposition and correct the posterior dislocation while Liara’s jaw muscles were relaxed, thus obviating the need for surgery.  (She would have to be reminded that clenching her jaw was not a good idea for the next four to six weeks or so).

Her broken nose had really just been cartilage slightly detached from the bone.  Chakwas had only to realign it (she actually felt it pop into place under her fingers) and apply an adhesive splint to keep it correctly aligned; the nanites in her system would do the rest.

Karen was currently doing the delicate work on Liara’s upper teeth; she had discovered the blood-borne synthetic nanites had been repairing them as well.  Dr Chakwas was using the mini-fabricator in her omni tool to manufacture braces for the upper teeth, which would ensure the two front teeth healed in the same position they had been in originally.  The loose teeth in her lower jaw were still aligned correctly… it appeared the bone around the roots would heal and they would regain the same immobile status as their neighbors.

She finished installing the braces, applying tension to the wires responsible for re-aligning the teeth.  She checked the chronometer in her omni tool… 1023.  Taking a look at Liara’s right hand, she noted with satisfaction the skin over her knuckles was well on its way to healing without any scars.  The fractured fingers were not completely broken, so would heal on their own.  Karen looked through her stores of rehabilitative aids, and found what she called a ‘squeezer’, a spring-loaded device to strengthen ones grasp through repetitively applying finger pressure to a molded grip held against the palm of the hand.  She checked Liara’s vitals again, then cleaned up and sat at her desk to enter her report.  The anesthesia should wear off shortly; then it was just a matter of keeping her comfortable.

* * *

 *** DECK TWO • BRIDGE ***  
**– 0955 –**

Joker had his chair rotated to the right so he could chat with EDI.  Catching movement out of the corner of his eye, he looked to his right and saw Garrus walking towards him, followed by… “Garrus, why in hell would you bring her up here?  Hasn’t she done enough damage?”  He got out of his chair and made as if to bar either of them from passing the airlock access passageway.

“Let’s take a walk, Flight Lieutenant.  Just me and you,” Garrus said, emphasizing the last four words with deep harmonics.

“But… ” Joker wanted to protest further.

“Go, Jeff.  You should proceed to the mess hall, have something to eat.  I will be fine,” EDI said, studying him intently with her one-eyed gaze.  “Go,” she repeated, waving her bandaged hand as he stared at her, disbelief plain on his face. 

He continued to stand there until Garrus placed a hand on his shoulder and gently guided him out into the tactical passageway, leaving Samantha Traynor alone with EDI.

EDI stood, took four steps and stopped half a meter from Samantha.  “Specialist.  I have been informed you will not be relieved of duty as originally proposed.  I believe that is in the best interest for everyone, although there are some on board, such as Jeff, that will need convincing.”

“I am as surprised by my release as anyone, EDI,” Samantha quietly replied.  “Maybe more so.  I think the commander wanted me hung from the nearest yardarm for punching Liara… and you.  I came to apologize for my actions yesterday.  If you will let me explain… ”

EDI held her hand up and interrupted with, “No explanation is needed, Samantha.  Garrus told me a bit about your black-ops background.  I understand the Alliance programmed you as a covert agent.  That programming… that training, overruled your conscious response to my attempt to take you into custody.  You executed a series of automatic moves to prevent capture.  I completely understand.  What I do not understand is the Alliance’s wish to keep all this a secret.”

“Those of us that survived our missions were sworn to secrecy, forced to sign Non-Disclosure Agreement’s when the program was terminated,” Samantha replied.

“The Alliance wanted the program kept hidden; perhaps they think they can resurrect it again at some point.  With Earth… the Alliance, ‘ell, the entire galaxy in the proverbial shitter, I don’t expect I’ll be in any more trouble for telling a few very close friends about my training.  But that is not why I am here.”  Traynor paused, looked directly at EDI and said, “I am sorry, EDI, so very sorry.  I don’t know what else to say.  Will you… can you find it in your… heart… to forgive me?”

EDI responded by bringing her arms up and gathering Samantha into a tight embrace.  “Sam, I am still your friend.  That has not changed, nor will it.”  EDI drew back slightly and kissed Samantha gently on the cheek; Samantha returned EDI’s embrace before releasing her and taking a step back.

“Thanks EDI.  That means more than I can say.”  Sam wiped a stray tear from her face and smiled.

“Of course,” Shepard’s avatar snapped into view on the left side of Joker’s chair, “you do realize, Traynor, that EDI could have crushed the life from you when she embraced you.”

“That you would even suggest such a thing,” EDI responded sharply, “says more than you realize about how you have evolved since you rejoined the Normandy, Shepard.”  EDI closed and locked the hatch leading onto the bridge.  “You seem to believe the specialist is to blame for her actions.  I believe assigning blame in this affair is pointless.  However, the Alliance _did_ train her.  The blame should be theirs.  If more blame is to be assigned, you are as much to blame as anyone here, Rachaél.  You may as well have hit Liara yourself; her blind allegiance to the Prothean ultimately led to her nose being broken and my eye being damaged.”

Shepard was uncharacteristically silent, the violet and red muted… dim.

EDI continued to remind Rachaél of recent history.  “You once told me you had no use for team members that could not think for themselves.  Has that changed?  You broke up a potentially lethal argument between Javik and Liara after the Reapers took Thessia.  Why did you intervene?”

“You have changed, Shepard.  I am not referring just to your status as an entity… an intelligence… in this ship’s computer core.  That is a given.  You simply are not the same as you were before you activated the Crucible.  I expected you to change, to… grow.  But this outcome, this turn of events is not a development that could be foreseen.  I did not expect you to change in such a radical fashion.”

Shepard remained silent, colors dimmed.  EDI was ready to prompt Rachaél for a response when the color glow brightened.  “Samantha, it would seem I should apologize to you.”  Shepard’s managed to sound contrite.  “Your early history with the Alliance was not known to me, and I placed you in an impossible situation by including you on the shore party to visit Javik.”

“EDI, you are correct.  I was not… am not… being objective regarding this incident.  I am too close to Liara,” Shepard said, in a tone suggesting she was embarrassed to be addressing this subject.  “There is a valid reason for the rules prohibiting fraternization on warships.  Liara is not part of the Alliance, but the fact we are bonded has clouded my own judgment regarding her interactions with the crew.”

Traynor had waited for a chance to speak.  “Commander, if I could change anything about yesterday, I would not have gone with Liara and EDI.  I really did not expect Javik to piss me off so thoroughly… it was totally beyond anything I could deal with on a rational basis.  All I saw was a bloody Collector.  My training does not preclude assaults on ‘friendlies’ attempting to restrain me.”  Samantha paused for several moments, then continued.  “I am going to the med bay to speak with Doctor T’Soni… to apologize to her, if she will even allow me in to see her.”

“I will accompany you, Samantha.  I do not believe she will deny access to… ,” EDI paused as she pulled her hair away from her face, “… the pirate queen of the Terminus and her friend.”

“Samantha, if you need me with you in the Med Bay, call me”, Shepard said quietly.  “I realize now I need to reassess my own thinking, my motivations and reactions.  I will respond if you wish for me to join you.  Logging you out.”

EDI paused for a moment, as if accessing data.  “I believe Jeff is waiting outside the hatch, Samantha.  I need to teach him a lesson in forgiveness.”  Grabbing the M-5 from the flight engineer’s chair, she ejected the heat sink and left it in the seat, rendering the weapon impotent.  Pointing the empty weapon at Traynor’s back, she unlocked and opened the hatch as she told Samantha, “Follow my lead… ”

* * *

*** DECK THREE • LIFE SUPPORT *  
– 0915 - 1025 –**

Tali’Zorah resumed her repairs of EDI’s left eye by closely inspecting the damage to the precision iris assembly.  Under the computer-controlled microscope, she could clearly see that two of the nine metal blades comprising the assembly had been jarred askew in their housing.  _‘Easier than I thought it would be… ’_ she mused as she carefully teased the blades back into their proper position.

She tested the effectiveness of her repair by manually cycling the iris through its full range of motion, rapidly opening and closing it a number of times to be sure it would not ‘hang’ at an extreme.  Satisfied it would work correctly, she reinstalled it in the forward hemisphere and connected it to the control harness.

Leaving the iris in its fully closed position, she installed the clear outer cover, than quickly installed the forward hemisphere assembly after removing the black polyvinyl from the inner rear surface.  She made sure all the electrical connections were secure, then hooked a temporary power source and video cable to the plug-in connection at the rear of the reassembled orb.  She observed the iris as she turned the power on; it opened slightly, opening more as she shadowed the internal light sensor with her hand.  The view on the monitor changed as she moved her hand closer to, then away from the eye; exposure and focus appeared to be responding correctly to motion.  The real test would come when it was installed and EDI could run her own tests.  Cutting the power, she watched as the iris auto-closed to protect the sensors inside.  Bringing up her omni tool, she sent a text to EDI requesting her presence in environmental control.

* * *

*** DECK TWO • PORT SIDE AIRLOCK ***

EDI followed Traynor out of the bridge, past the airlock inner door and an incredulous Joker.  “EDI, where are you…” he had started to ask.

EDI cut him off mid-sentence with, “I am going to terminate Specialist Traynor in the Med Bay.  Doctor Chakwas will standby to ensure the specialist does not suffer undue pain.”

Samantha looked over her shoulder at EDI with a mixture of fear and disbelief on her face.

Joker grinned and responded as he rubbed his palms together vigorously, “Now we’re getting somewhere!  I want to watch!  How are you going… ?”

Traynor’s expression changed from fear and disbelief to utter loathing as she looked daggers at the snarky helmsman.  “And I imagine you’d like to come along with a cat o’ nine tails to whip me bare-assed before EDI puts a bullet in my ‘ead?”

“Really, Traynor?  I think James would be better suited… more strength in his arms.  I’d still like to watch… what?”  Joker began to back up towards the bridge.

“You miserable rat bastard!  I’ll ‘ave your ass for that…” she started to go around EDI as if to pound the helmsman into the decking.  EDI responded by holding up an arm to block Traynor’s passage as she turned a pitying look on the flight lieutenant.  “That was a joke, Jeff.”

“Oh…” He looked at Samantha, now flashing an especially wicked grin, and EDI, also smiling, though the smile did not reach her one good eye.

Tossing the empty M-5 to Joker, she said, “You may return this to the flight engineer’s chair on the bridge.  The heat sink is sitting in the chair.”  Continuing towards the CIC, EDI looked over her shoulder and finished with, “We’ll talk later, Jeff.”  Her tone and expression gave Joker a bad feeling about the promised ‘talk’.

* * *

*** DECK THREE • CREW’S MESS ***

EDI and Traynor walked around the starboard side of the elevator supports in time to discover Garrus walking away from the Med Bay.  As he moved towards them he said, “Traynor?  EDI?  Dr Chakwas is just finishing her… repairs, for lack of a better description, to Liara’s face.  She won’t regain consciousness for a while… would you care to join me for a bite to eat, or a drink?”

EDI’s omni tool pinged before she could answer Garrus.  Looking at the message brought a smile to her face.  “It is a message from Tali’Zorah.  It would seem she has finished her repairs and is requesting my presence so she can repair my eyelids and reinstall my eye.  I will talk to both of you later.”

Samantha responded with, “Okay EDI.  I’ll have a cup of tea and some conversation with Garrus while we wait.  We’ll be here when you’re done.”  She moved towards the mess area with Garrus as EDI retraced her steps back to the deck three hallway to visit Tali.

* * *

*** DECK THREE • LIFE SUPPORT ***

The sound of the hatch segments hissing into their recesses brought Tali’Zorah’s head up from her repair work to greet EDI.  She was a bit surprised at EDI’s appearance.  She had set her ‘hair’ from a single, cohered unit… a ‘helmet’ of sorts for added cranial protection…  to loose, individual strands; these appeared to have been brushed or combed, just as human and quarian females wore their hair.  A group of strands had come loose, falling across the black eye patch she was wearing to keep the socket clean.  She was also surprised to see that EDI was actually ‘dressed’.  She was wearing a Cerberus designed skin-tight suit, similar to Miranda Lawson’s all black, shore party battle uniform.  “Keelah! Joker said you looked like the pirate queen from the Terminus, EDI; the clothing only adds to the effect!  It completely flatters you.”

“Jeff has observed the eye patch adds an ominous aspect to my visage, Tali,” EDI responded.  “He also approves of my new outfit.  He says it makes me look ‘hot’, although it should be noted I do not feel any difference in the external temperature of my body while wearing it.”  Tali placed a hand on her visor and gently shook her head, thinking _‘EDI doesn’t have a clue!’_

Ignoring Tali, EDI continued.  “It provides additional shielding from small arms fire, and should allow me to blend into shadows when circumstances dictate.  I believe it was originally sized for Operative Lawson, as it is a bit loose around my hips and chest.  The material is adaptive, and should self-shrink to a properly snug fit in a few days.  I may continue to wear the eye patch as a disguise.  How are the repairs to my eye progressing?”

“I have repaired all the damaged components,” she replied.  “Whatever else Cerberus was, they employed some very talented engineers and fabricators.  This is a marvel of miniature engineering, EDI.  Please sit down,” she indicated the chair across from her, “so I can look at your eyelids and reinstall your eye.”

EDI complied with Tali’s request.  She folded her arms on the table in front of her and leaned as close to Tali as possible.  “I am locking all of my upper body and head movement motivators, Tali.  I will let you remove the eye patch.”  Tali placed the stand with the repaired eye on the low bench to her left; moving to stand behind her, Tali carefully released and removed the eye patch.  Returning to her chair, she used the light from her omni tool to once again inspect the harness connections and latches within EDI’s eye socket.  Satisfied she had not overlooked anything during her initial inspection, she turned her attention to EDI’s eyelids.  “EDI, close your right eye, please, and leave the left side open.”  Tali set the desk mounted light to shine on EDI’s face and began to gently reshape the upper and lower lids…

* * *

*** DECK THREE • CREW’S MESS ***

Traynor fixed herself a steaming mug of Earl Grey… at least, the closest equivalent stocked in the dry goods cabinet.  For his part, Garrus felt it was a good time to have a bit of turian brandy… hell, anytime was a good time to enjoy a shot of turian brandy.

He joined Sam at the starboard end of the large table set between the elevator shaft and the bulkheads supporting the CIC display above on deck two.  Traynor sat at the end of the table; Garrus chose the corner chair in order to have a view of the first window to the left of the med bay entrance.

“Sooooo… ” dragging the word out through his sub-harmonics, “now that you’re… what is that human expression?  Ahhhh, ‘off the hook’ with Shepard, what now?  Only a few of us know of your former life in Alliance Black Ops.  Are you going to tell everyone else, or keep quiet?

Samantha sipped her tea and sighed.  “I don’t know Garrus.  I was unaware going into that hearing that the punishments outlined by Major Alenko were going to be eliminated.  It was a… nice surprise.  To answer your other question, I really don’t care for the rest of the crew to be privy to my life before the Normandy.  Truth be told, I never accepted the charges as stated in the complaint.”

“I went along with the NJP hearing for the major’s benefit.  I mean, where the ‘ell can I go?  Confined to quarters?”  Samantha chuckled.  “I’m confined to the Normandy, for cryin’ out loud.  Thirty days in my quarters or in the port cargo compartment or thirty days on this ship?  What’s the bloody difference?  Just more room to stretch my legs, and I’m still performing my duties?  I’d call that a win for me and a win for the ship.”

“Annnnndd… ,” Garrus dragged this word through his sub-harmonics as well.  “… disobeying a direct order given by Commander Shepard?  Granted, she’s in the Normandy’s computer now… hell, she is the Normandy, but it’s difficult to believe she would place anything above the best interests of the crew and ship.”

Samantha took a long, slow sip of tea, contemplating Garrus over the rim of her cup before responding.  “I do not believe that I, or any member of the crew of this vessel, can be held liable for refusing to follow instructions issued by a computer.  My oath to serve the Systems Alliance was not given to nor was it received by a computer.”  She set the mug down and folded her arms with her elbows on the table; she leaned close to Garrus and added in a hushed tone, “The human woman known as Commander Rachaél Anne Shepard died on the Citadel when she activated the Crucible.  The presence of an entity, any entity residing in the computer core aboard this vessel claiming to be Commander Shepard does not necessarily validate the claim.  The computer can be shut down.  Its memory can be erased.”

“That doesn’t seem like a good idea, Specialist.”  Garrus fluttered his mandibles to show his disagreement.  “Shepard has made a lot of subtle changes in the computer, enough so that simply shutting off the power will not terminate her presence.  I would not be surprised to learn she could restart the computer herself, with no outside help.  I am also certain she does not need any human, turian, quarian or other outside assistance to fly and fight this ship.  It is as Alenko feared… she’s an organic intelligence; she has total control of one of the most capable frigates ever designed and constructed by turians or humans.”

“All the more reason for us… the entire crew, Garrus… to leave this vessel as soon as we are docked in turian held territory,” was Sam’s reply.  “As for myself, I intend to request a transfer to another Alliance vessel as soon as communications are re-established with… whatever is left of the fleet.”

Garrus studied her face as he took another swallow of brandy.  He had always had a hard time reading non-verbal human emotions.  Traynor was a case in point.  Her expression, neither smiling nor frowning, gave nothing away.

He decided to change the subject.  “Do you think you and T’Soni can be friends again?  I watched the video Žiuk’Durmah sent to my omni tool; there is no doubt in my mind that you intended to kill her if she didn’t back down.  Personally, I would have had a great deal of difficulty with taking such a radical action at such close range.”

Traynor smiled.  With a small chuckle, she said, “No, Archangel always preferred to settle scores from 245 meters while looking through a scope.  I read about your exploits on Omega.  Tracking the traitor in your group to the Citadel, then sparing his life… ”

Garrus interrupted with, “… kind of difficult to shoot someone in the head when a person you care for has her own head stubbornly in the way.”

“Took some bollocks for Shepard to do that, Garrus.  She must have really cared about you.”

“ _Cares_ about me, Traynor.  She cares about me… cares about all of us.  Unlike you, I believe the Rachaél I knew before the Reapers is still alive, still Commander Shepard, just without a physical body.  I feel that will change when we’re back in our own systems.”  Garrus paused to take a pull from the nearly empty bottle in front of him before continuing.  “I don’t believe the Alliance totally destroyed Cronos Station.  I have to believe that a cloned body can be created, that Rachaél can live and walk amongst us again, Sam.  This galaxy still needs her… ,” then, in a whisper so quiet Sam wasn’t sure she’d heard him correctly, “… I still need her.”

* * *

*** DECK THREE • LIFE SUPPORT ***

Tali had finished reshaping EDI’s eyelids… the compound curvature of each was perfectly matched to the shape of her eye, and the upper and lower edges met evenly.  “I think we’re done, EDI.  I just need to reset your eye… ” Tali retrieved EDI’s repaired eye, still clamped in its repair stand, from the low shelf to her left.  Releasing it from the fixture, she used a small air jet from amongst her tools to blow away any dust particles, then came around to stand behind EDI.

“Okay, EDI.  Let’s get this done.  Open your left side eyelids all the way, and release the locks on the motivators in your neck so I can move your head.”

As EDI complied, Tali brought her free hand over the top of EDI’s head and tilted her head back against her chest.  Making sure she had the eye correctly orientated, she used her thumb and first finger to stretch the ‘skin’ above and below the eye socket while placing the eye against the opening.  Pushing lightly, she eased the eye past the eyelids by twisting it back and forth until it was situated just over the latches.  With a finger from each hand on either side of the iris, she pressed straight down and was rewarded with a ‘click’.  The eye and its connectors latched into place in the retainers and harnesses.  Removing her fingers, Tali moved EDI’s head forward and walked back around the table to look at her.

“EDI, blink once or twice.  Your eye should perform an ‘auto-start’ and calibration sequence.”

EDI did as requested.  Tali was happy to see the left eye immediately iris up and focus on her face, same as its companion.

“What do you see, EDI?  Is there any double or cloudy vision in that eye?”

EDI took a few moments to respond.  “It is curious, Tali.  I once again have depth perception.  My vision seems to be as sharp as it ever was.”

“Focus on my finger, EDI,” Tali said.  She held up one finger and moved it towards EDI’s nose, then up, sideways and down.  “Both eyes appear to be tracking together perfectly.  Now… ,” she used the light in her omni tool to shine at both eyes in turn, flicking the light towards, then away from her eyes in order to observe iris function; the left side operated just as the right.  “It would appear I have passed my final exam for the title of ophthalmologist, EDI.  Your eye seems to be working just fine.”

Tali heard several low volume ‘clicks’ and ‘whirring’ sounds from inside EDI’s upper torso as she unlocked all her motivators, then stood up.  Tali picked up EDI’s eye patch as she walked around the small table.  “Here’s a souvenir for you,” she said.

EDI took the eye patch from Tali, before enveloping her in a tight embrace.  “Thank you Tali.  Your skill with all things mechanical and electronic continues to amaze me.  Let’s go find Garrus and Traynor.”

“You go ahead.  I’ll join you as soon as I get all my tools put away.”

* * *

*** DECK THREE • CREW’S MESS and MED BAY ***

EDI walked around the starboard side elevator supports in time to pick up the last few words of Garrus’s comments… ”This galaxy still needs her.  I… ” the last few words said too softly, even for her preternatural hearing to pick up.  “What were you saying, Garrus?”

Garrus flared his mandibles as her looked up at the synthetic woman.  Attempting to hide his embarrassment, he stated the obvious.  “EDI!  You have both your eyes.  So, Tali’Zorah was able to repair all the damage?”

EDI smiled at the turian’s discomfiture.  “Tali’s skills at repairing all things, mechanical or electronic, large or small, continue to amaze me.  The eye is functioning nominally.  Do you know if Dr T’Soni has regained consciousness?”

Garrus and Samantha peered at the Med Bay window closest to the doorway.  “Hard to say, EDI,” Samantha answered.  “It’s been ‘alf an hour… perhaps we should go check with Dr Chakwas.”

“Sounds good,” Garrus said as he rose from his seat.  He left the empty bottle on the table and walked with Sam and EDI to the door, which opened when EDI pinged the lock.

They walked into the Med Bay as Doctor Chakwas was finishing her report on Liara’s condition.

EDI spoke first.  “Doctor Chakwas.  How is your patient progressing?”  Karen turned to answer, but could not conceal the surprised look on her face at seeing Samantha and Garrus standing next to EDI.

“Liara will be fine,” she responded.  Addressing Sam, she asked, “Specialist, what brings you here?”  Looking at EDI, then back at the specialist, she commented, “Surely you haven’t been released for duty.”

“I have, Doctor, although most of the crew, particularly Joker, would like to see me lined up against a wall and shot.”  Traynor continued, “I didn’t think executions were still performed by humans.  Batarians, yes.  Turians… ,” here she glanced at Garrus with a small grin, “… sometimes.  I came here to offer an apology, if she will even let me.”

“She’s just waking up from the anesthesia, Specialist, so she’s going to be in and out for a few hours,” Chakwas replied.  “You can talk to her for a few moments, if you like, but you may need to return tomorrow when she’s a bit more lucid.”

“Thanks Doctor.  I’ll give it a go now… try my luck.”

Traynor looked at EDI, who reached around her back and grasped her shoulder.  “Come on, Sam.  Let’s say ‘hi’ before we head back for the bridge.”

With Garrus behind them, they approached Liara’s bed.  Samantha was the first to speak.  “Liara?  Dr T’Soni?  Can you hear me?”

Liara responded with a low groan as she turned towards the voice and tried to open her swollen eyes.  “Trn’r?  Z’atchu?  Why’re you here?  Hit me sm’mor?  “

“Liara,” Sam was losing control of her emotions.  “Liara, I am so, so sorry…” Traynor touched the asari’s upper arm, avoiding her injured hand.  She couldn’t stop the tears as she bent down and ever so softly kissed Liara’s forehead, then her right eyelid.  “I’m asking you… ,” she whispered, voice breaking, “… please forgive me, Liara.  I didn’t…  never wanted this… any of this to ‘appen, to you… to us.”  Reaching across Liara with her other arm, she gently hugged the asari, continuing to whisper “I’m sorry,” into her ear over and over, until EDI gently pulled Sam up to stand beside her; Traynor had her hands across her mouth and nose as she tried to regain control.

Garrus had walked around to the other side of the bed, where he placed a taloned hand gently on Liara’s left shoulder and said, “Get better, T’Soni.  We all miss you.”

Liara responded with a slight smile; with what was obviously a great deal of effort, she raised her right arm and placed her injured hand in the middle of Traynor’s chest.  Sam carefully placed her own hand on top of the asari’s as Liara said, “F’gvn, Trn’r.  Talk...,” she sighed, then, “...lat’r...”  Liara drifted back into blissful unawareness.

Traynor nearly lost it completely.  She gently kissed the fingers of the blue hand she was holding, then placed her now relaxed arm back on the bed and covered it.  “I’ll come see you tomorrow, Liara.  Get well.”  Turning to EDI, she said, her voice hitching, “I need a drink.  Coming, Garrus?”

* * *

_**A/N:** Traynor has been forgiven by EDI.  It remains to be seen if Liara was actually ‘aware’ of what she was saying through the haze of pain killers and general anesthesia.  Difficult chapter to create.  I did not want to see Traynor executed or sentenced to hard time.  Alenko basically swept it all under the deck, either with or without Shepard’s input.  Most everyone on the Normandy seems okay with that.  Not Joker.  Not Shepard.  I hope the future will be entertaining._


	21. A Toast to the Women of the Normandy

_Forgiveness is not always easy.  At times, it feels more painful than the wound we suffered, to forgive the one that inflicted it.  And yet, there is no peace without forgiveness_  – Marianne Williamson

* * *

*** DECK THREE • CREW’S MESS ***

Tali came around the starboard elevator supports in time to catch Garrus, EDI and Samantha leaving the Med Bay. “What did I miss? She still alive in there?” EDI answered as Garrus and Sam walked by her, each saying ‘Hi Tali’ as they headed for the hallway to the port side lounge. “She’s fine, Tali. Still disoriented from pain killers and the anesthesia Dr. Chakwas used. She just needs time to heal.”

“Did she talk to Samantha? Is there going to be a rematch when Dr. T’Soni’s back on her feet?”

“You too, Tali?” EDI managed to sound displeased. “Why is everyone so ready to see the specialist punished? I have forgiven her. Alenko deemed her offenses not worthy of a permanent reprimand. I believe Liara will forgive her again, when she is free of the mind-numbing drugs keeping her pain at bay.”

“Keelah, EDI. You don’t have to get upset. I am out of the inner circle, I guess. It’s just that, you know…she _is_ Shepard’s bondmate. I thought Samantha was going to be confined to quarters for…well, forever.”

“My apologies, Tali’Zorah. It just seems there are more than a few people on this ship that are hungering for some excitement, especially if it’s at someone else’s expense.” EDI’s tone lightened. “Now, if you will excuse me, there is one person on this ship that is going to have some excitement of his own.”

“You must mean the Flight Lieutenant. Do you think he will enjoy it?”

“Oh, no. The excitement I have planned for him will not please him in the least. It will be fun…for me,” EDI finished. Handing her eye patch to Tali, she requested, “Please place this back over my left eye, Tali. The pirate queen of the Terminus is about to skewer her first victim.”

* * *

*** DECK TWO • CONFERENCE ROOM *  
– 1105 –**

Alenko had returned to the conference room and was waiting for Shepard when her avatar appeared in the center well of the table.  “Kaiden. Looks as if you found a solution for Traynor.  I think Joker doesn’t feel as you do regarding her punishment, or lack thereof.  Can’t say I agree with your decision either.  Fill me in… what’d I miss?”

“I was going to confine her, cut her pay,” Alenko started to explain in an apologetic tone, “but I didn’t feel the _Normandy’s_ best interests would have been served by doing so.  I discovered bits and pieces, from her, from Garrus, from Alliance records… she had some incredibly intense training in an Alliance black-ops program, Shepard.”  Alenko paused, closed his eyes and massaged his temples between thumb and fingers.  “The program was terminated, records sealed, participants ordered to remain quiet.  For good or bad, the Alliance created a number of these human weapons, Traynor among them; the survivors are all loose cannons, still loaded, cocked in most cases.  It doesn’t take much to set them off.”

“Do you believe all of this, Kaiden?  How much did she tell you?”

“What she could without completely violating her NDA.  I learned some more from Garrus this morning.  She studied astrophysics, plus mathematics and statistics in college.  Did you know, she even has a solid background in computer science?”  Alenko ‘scrubbed’ his face with both hands, attempting to wake himself up a bit.  He hadn’t had an unbroken night’s sleep in thirty hours.  “What she told Garrus?  Scary stuff, Commander.  I would not want to face her as an enemy in the dark.  Neither would you.  Classification is CvO7, every bit as capable as any N7. When we were discussing her proposed punishments this morning, she told me she’s an Alliance created version of Subject Zero; every bit as deadly, just minus the attitude and biotics.”

Shepard replied in a thoughtful tone, “EDI is fine.  Liara is on the mend.  I’m sure Žiuk’Durmah is taking good care of Javik.  Your reasoning is sound, Major, and you have my sincere apologies for questioning you.  Why confine a crew member when we’re all confined to this ship.  At least she can continue to be productive, and Westmoreland and Campbell don’t have to watch her every move.”

“I fully expect her to request a transfer off the Normandy once we’re in the turian home system, Commander.  She won’t want to remain aboard when Javik returns, _if_ he returns.  Do you think he will wish to remain with Žiuk’Durmah?”

“I don’t know, Major.  He seems to be content, researching Prothean history before the Reapers invaded.  It’s possible he’ll want to publish a definitive history on his race, to separate the truth from the speculation.  Can’t think of a better use for his time.”

Shepard continued in a reflective tone of voice.  “I’ve taken some time to meditate, to reassess all that’s happened these past few days and weeks.  I am way too close to this situation, Kaiden.  You know I am in love with Liara.  Makes me biased.  Not a good position for any officer in charge.  I’m going to have a heart-to-heart talk with Samantha.  We’re going to discuss her lack of belief in my continued existence.  We’ll get it sorted out. Thank you for having my back… I know I’ve been difficult to deal with sometimes… hell, maybe all the time since the Crucible fired.”

“Being difficult is not a hanging offense, Commander,” Kaiden said with a chuckle.  “Just makes you human.  I hope you can reach an accord with Traynor.  She is such a talented person… best damn comm specialist and analyst I have ever seen.  If you need any assistance, call me… only, maybe after I’ve gotten some sleep?”

* * *

*** DECK THREE • PORT SIDE CREW LOUNGE ***

Garrus and Sam entered the crew lounge and found Vega and Cortez having a quiet conversation over glasses of beer.  Vega saw them first and hoisted his glass in their direction.  “Look who’s here!  Garrus!  Specialist Traynor!  Come have a beer with us, Specialist!”

“What are you drinking, Lieutenant?”  Traynor looked at Vega, then at Cortez.  “Seems the ship’s beer supply should be just about depleted.”  Vega took a swallow from his glass and replied as he wiped the foam from his upper lip.  “ _Pacífico_.  Brewed in Mazatlán, Pacific Ocean coast of Mexico. Exquisito.  I just hope the Reapers didn’t obliterate the brewery.”

Cortez took a swallow from his own glass, then said, “ _Tecate_.  Be glad to open one for you, Specialist.”

“Actually, I’ll have one of each.   _Tecate_ first.  Working on the Normandy in dry-dock, before the Reaper attack, I used to unwind at the end of the day with a _Tecate_.  Can’t get too wasted, though.  I still have to talk to Dr. T’Soni.”

“Garrus, I really wish we had some dextro-based beer for you,” Steve said as he opened a bottle of _Tecate_ and poured the contents into a half-liter glass.  “Doesn’t seem fair we can’t all be drinking the same stuff.”  Handing the frothy topped glass of amber liquid to Samantha, he waved his own glass in her direction and said, “Cheers, Specialist.”

Garrus had bent down behind the bar; after clanking a few containers this way and that, he pulled out his own treasure… a small bottle of very potent quarian whiskey.  “No problem, Cortez.  I’ll just have a bit of this stuff.  Guaranteed to set any turian on his ass.  Human or asari?  It’s pure, fast-acting poison.”

James turned to Samantha.  “So, Specialist?  How did you manage to get the brass to give you a pass?”

“Lieutenant Cortez was there.  Decision was totally on Major Alenko.  I expect he found stuff from my early years in the Alliance that contributed to my unexpected loss of control, stuff the Alliance does not wish to become general knowledge,” she responded before taking a long drink from her glass.  “Mmmmm… that’s damned good beer, Lieutenant!  Surprised you still have any left.”

“Esteban here helped me procure a bunch of small shipping containers full of both brands during our last stop at the Citadel, right after Shepard’s party,” Vega answered.  “Also got some of the lesser brands, you know, for the grunts.  It stays good for a long time when it’s kept refrigerated, and there are spaces below engineering where the HVAC piping is especially cold.  Unfortunately, our stocks are getting a bit low these days.”

James took another swallow from his own glass before fixing the specialist with a steely gaze.  “So, you put Buggy on the deck.  I would have really enjoyed seeing you do that… may even have helped.  Never did trust that guy…”

Garrus strolled over, sat down beside James and interrupted him.  “…Samantha, I really think James needs to see what you did… Cortez too.  They should be aware of how incredibly capable you are at hand-to-hand combat.”  As she started to protest, he raised a hand, “Just the takedown of Javik… that’s all.”

“Okay Garrus, fine.  It seems the pyjak is out of the sack.”  Traynor sighed, then finished her beer.  Cortez refilled her glass, this time with a _Pacífico_.

“Just… guys, please?  I had a lot of very extreme training.  Supposed to be a long-buried Alliance secret.  I signed an NDA, so I would really appreciate your discretion.  I don’t want this to go any further.”

“No problem, Specialist.”  James and Steve watched as Garrus entered several commands on his omni tool, resulting in a large still frame from the video being projected on the inboard forward side wall above the couch.  “This is from Žiuk’Durmah’s perspective,” explained Garrus.  “Less than ten seconds for this segment. 287 frames.”

Entering a final command, he held his omni tool steady as the video played, from Traynor’s demand for an apology and Javik’s response, [ _‘…I will not apologize to you for attempting to…’_ ] to Traynor cursing as she stood over Javik’s prone body, [ _‘…Žiuk’Durmah!  You can keep this wretched bastard for eternity!’_ ]  Total silence reigned as Garrus secured his omni tool.

Cortez, looking at the specialist with newfound respect, was the first to speak.  “That was absolutely incredible, Sam!  I never would have believed anyone capable of performing such a quick takedown, much less…”

“…a woman?”  Traynor finished for him.

“…well, yes, I guess… I mean… Samantha, why didn’t you tell anyone about your abilities?  We all know you’re an absolute marvel as a comm tech.  It’s really just too…  amazing…”  Cortez was finally at a loss for words.

“Garrus, how many seconds of video just for the punches?”  James wanted to know.

“One to two.  Maybe 40-45 frames.  Even watching frame by frame?  It’s all a blur, gentlemen.  I believe Shepard’s description was ‘wicked fast’. And Specialist Traynor…,” Garrus turned his blue-eyed gaze back to Samantha.  “…’wicked fast’ doesn’t even begin to do justice to that three-punch combo.  That…” pointing to the now empty wall, “…was a thing of absolute beauty.  You are an artist.”

“…I don’t know, Garrus.”  Traynor was blushing furiously.  “I didn’t do anything special.”

“I’ll second your opinion, Garrus,” James added.  “Is it just possible,” James kept his eyes on Traynor as he asked, “that this woman is living on the wrong side of the ship?”

“I don’t understand your question.”

James finished his brew and set the glass down.  “I believe she just may be in the wrong branch, is all.  Traynor?  Sure you weren’t supposed to enlist in the Marines?  You certainly seem to have the hand-to-hand training.  Did you also learn how to handle weapons… pistols?  Assault rifles?”

Traynor appeared more embarrassed than before.  “I really shouldn’t talk about it, guys.”

“Samantha, come on,” Steve cajoled.  We’re all shipmates here, right Vega?”  James nodded in agreement.  “The Alliance must have trained you to be more than a comm specialist.  What other skills were you taught?”

Sam took another swallow from her glass before answering shyly, “Weapons training.  Long range or close up, I can probably out shoot anyone on this vessel, Lieutenant… probably most anyone in the Navy or Marines.  I aced all the training.  Maybe I should have transferred into the Marines.”

“That almost sounds like a challenge, Specialist.”

“Just stating facts, Lieutenant.”  Traynor returned Vega’s steady gaze without flinching.

A grin gradually spread to the corners of Vega’s face.  “la Niñas on this boat?”  he asked no one in particular as he shook his head in seeming disbelief.  “How did we wind up with a shipload of such totally kick ass women?”

Garrus looked at James.  “Who else besides Traynor, Shepard, Tali and EDI?”

Cortez interrupted, “Don’t forget Dr. T’Soni,” causing Sam to cover her face with her free hand.  “Oops.  Sorry about that Specialist.  But, T’Soni _does_ have killer biotics.  Just saying.”

James finished with, “Gabriella Daniels.  She has some killer moves with her hands and feet…pies desnudos!  Kick boxer.  You should have seen her destroy that husk head.  Use the observation windows… watch her punishing my heavy bag in the early mornings.  I’ll have to buy a new one by the time she’s done abusing it.”

Garrus raised his bottle of quarian whisky.  “Gentlemen!  A toast!”  As James and Steve raised their glasses high, Garrus continued, using sub-harmonics to emphasize his words.  “To Specialist Samantha Traynor and the women of the _Normandy_.  May we never have the misfortune of having their skills directed at us!”

“Hear! Hear!”  James and Steve clanked their glasses together as they shouted as one.

* * *

*** DECK ONE • THE LOFT *  
– 1355 –**

Traynor used her omni tool to activate the chime on the door lock, which obligingly turned green.  The door segments slid into their pockets with a quiet swish, allowing Sam to enter the commander’s quarters, unoccupied these many weeks since Shepard had thrown herself in the energy beam generated by the docked Crucible.  The hatch closed and latched behind her as the specialist slowly walked past the twin aquariums; she marveled again at the many life forms within as she stepped down into the sleeping area and moved towards the ‘L’-shaped couch to starboard. “Commander Shepard?”  She picked up the bottle of water sitting on the table and took a seat with her back to the model ship display.

“Specialist Traynor.”  The commander’s ultraviolet and red avatar appeared in the space between the forward end of the couch and the desk. “Thanks for coming up to chat.”

“What do you wish to talk about?”  Traynor schooled her voice, keeping all her emotions bottled up inside.

“Samantha, when you were first posted to this ship, when it was still dry docked in Vancouver, you did an incredible job reworking the communications systems, setting up the QEC and war room.  I suspect you may even have had a hand in setting up the Shadow Broker’s equipment.  Your work was always exemplary, until the day Liara and I recovered Javik and brought him on board.  You changed.  It was subtle.  The quality of your work never betrayed your feelings, and I don’t believe anyone else noticed until the _Normandy_ was grounded and I found my way back.  That first meeting, in the conference room?  You really cut loose.”  Shepard paused, thinking.  “Hindsight?  To use an old expression, it’s always 20/20, always perfect.  There was no way to foresee what would happen.  Do you think we would have been wrong to maroon Javik on that planet?  I believe so, even though he offered to leave.”

“I don’t see how revisiting history is going to help us reach a finer understanding of each other, Commander.”  Traynor leaned back on the couch, hands behind her head, legs crossed.  “I wanted Javik dead.  Did you talk to Garrus?  I told him I pulled my punches when I hit Javik.  I could have killed him… ’ell, maybe I should have completed the job Tali started.  I pulled my punches when I hit Liara.  I’m really sorry I hit her… sorry I injured her, but by that time I was on auto pilot, with only enough conscious control to use the minimum amount of energy needed to get the job done.”

Shepard was impressed, enough so that she did not want to see what the specialist was truly capable of doing.  “What I really don’t understand, Samantha, is why you never confided in me or Alenko, or even Garrus during our fight against Cerberus and the Reapers.  From what little you told Alenko and Garrus, you would have been an outstanding addition to any squad taken groundside.  I believe you could have taken that sword away from Kai Leng and used it to relieve him of his own head.  I know we talked before about your hatred of Javik; I really believed we had put that issue to rest.  But there’s something else, isn’t there?”

“What do you mean, Commander?”

“You don’t believe I am really ‘me’, do you?”  Shepard asked in a melancholy tone.  “After everything we’ve been through, do you think I am any less human because I can’t sit on that couch, drink a cup of tea, play chess against you or sleep in my bed under the stars?”

“I am having trouble with that concept, yes.  You are not human.  No flesh and blood.  To hear you tell it, your body was consumed in the energy blast generated by the Crucible.  Before that?  When Cerberus brought you back to hunt down the Collectors?  You were as much machine as human.”  Traynor looked intently at the glowing avatar.  “I’ve seen your eyes, Commander.  They were synthetic… glowed red in dim lighting.  You are truly a ghost in the machine.”

Shepard’s voice went slightly darker.  “This ‘ghost in the machine’ makes mistakes, Samantha, mistakes an actual computer would be incapable of committing.  I care about everyone on this ship, including you.  It broke my heart that I couldn’t personally intervene when Javik grabbed you in the airlock.”  Shepard softened her tone of voice.  “If it had been me instead of Tali holding that shotgun? I might have pumped another round in him, finished him off before Žiuk’Durmah took notice of what was happening.”

Samantha shifted her posture, leaned forward, placed both feet on the deck with her hands on her knees.  “…but the shore party, Commander.  You took the other side.  You ordered me to back down after Liara basically told me to just forget about Javik’s assault.  Cockroach wouldn’t apologize, yet she took his side over mine, and you seemed to be backing her, or did I not hear you correctly.”  Traynor took a long, shuddering breath.  “She would not or could not admit her viewpoint needed correction, and I just could not let that go, Ma’am.  I sincerely regret my actions.  I lost it, Ma’am.  Punching EDI?  Liara?  I wasn’t trained to injure my friends, injure the people I… love.  I am truly sorry Commander, but I’m sure I’d react in the exact same way if placed in that situation again.”

Shepard responded quietly as Sam drank from the water bottle.  “I appreciate your honesty, Specialist.  Thank you.  And as I said, I make mistakes. Do you think I haven’t agonized about those twenty minutes over there?  So, you corrected Liara’s viewpoint for her?”

“No ma’am… not intentionally, anyway.  EDI grabbing my arm was the trigger.  Liara was aiming to hit me from behind.  Self defense.  I still have to talk to her, to apologize for causing her injuries.  After I do that, whether she accepts or not, I will continue to perform my duties to the high standards you expect from me.  When we reach the turian home system, I’ll request a transfer to another Alliance ship or shore facility.”

“Samantha, really?  I know this ship wouldn’t fall apart without you here, but…”

“…but what, Commander.  I disobeyed an order from… my commander, even if I’m not totally convinced she’s not just a ‘ghost in the machine’.  I severely injured a hybrid synthetic woman of whom I am extremely fond, not to mention an asari to which said commander has bound her life. Flight Lieutenant Moreau believes I should be stood against a post, stripped, flogged and executed… ‘ell, he wants to watch!”

Shepard’s avatar shifted colors… red brightening to almost orange, violet deepening to ultraviolet.  “Samantha, none of what happened can be changed… well, maybe Joker’s attitude will change, since said hybrid synthetic woman is really bustin’ his chops for his vindictive attitude towards you.  Interesting conversation.  One-sided, but interesting.”

She paused, as if concentrating on the one-sided conversation taking place on the bridge.  Her voice sounded as if she were smiling.  “EDI has forgiven you, Sam, and is still your friend.  I’m sure Liara will forgive you as well.  She isn’t one for holding a grudge… says it’s a waste of energy. The person really needing forgiveness?  Look in the mirror, Sam.  You have to be willing to forgive yourself.  Please don’t make any irrevocable decisions before we arrive.  Talk to me, or Alenko.  Talk to Garrus or James Vega.  There are a lot of people on this boat that would really miss you. Not just for your talents with the communications systems… they’d miss _y ou_… Samantha Traynor.”

Sam was silent for several minutes, looking in Shepard’s direction but focused on something in the distance.  Finally, she stood and said, “Thank you, Commander.  You’ve given me a lot to think about.”

As she turned and started for the door, Shepard took her parting shot.

“Sam, before you talk to Liara, give some thought to this: she is really in need of an assistant, someone that’s not Glyph.  Kaiden could arrange for you to be assigned as the Alliance’s liaison to the Shadow Broker.  Promise me you will at least think about it?”

Sam paused on the stairs by the aquarium.  “Thank you, Commander.  I will consider it.”  With that, she continued out the exit, leaving Shepard’s avatar in the compartment.

* * *

*** DECK TWO • BRIDGE *  
– 1415 –**

For perhaps only the second time since EDI had known Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau, the usually snarky pilot was totally speechless as he stared in near disbelief at the last frame of video EDI had just shared with him.  After several minutes of gawking at the image of Liara lying unconscious in a puddle of blue on the deck and EDI, his EDI, sprawled out next to her, he slowly turned his attention to the synthetic hybrid woman beside him. “EDI, has anyone else seen this?  Does Specialist Traynor know you planned to share this?”

“She is my friend, Jeff.  She trusts my judgment.”  EDI pulled the OSD from the reader and deleted all local copies from the bridge playback terminals.  “Having seen just a tiny bit of what she is truly capable of, do you still think we would be justified in terminating such a valuable member of this crew?”

“I’ve never seen anything like that, even in the action vids, EDI.  But how did Javik…”

“…grab her in the airlock?” she finished for him.  “Biotics, Jeff.  Her skills do not include biotic ability, and she does not possess physical defenses against a trained biotic.”  Indicating the OSD she held, she added, “Žiuk’Durmah employed a biotic dampening field in that chamber.  Had she chosen, Traynor could have killed Javik.  She could have killed Liara T’Soni.  She could have, despite what I previously told you, permanently disabled me in any number of ways once I was lying on the deck.”

“EDI, no!”  Jeff’s horrified expression would have been perfect for a well-timed ‘that was a joke, Jeff,’ but she maintained her dead-serious demeanor.

“That she chose to let all of us live, including Javik, a person she absolutely loathes, speaks to her training, yes, but also her humanity.  No one is a born killer.  One has to be trained to kill.  Few enjoy it.”

“You don’t suppose she’ll want pay back, do you?  For all the things I said before?  She knows I was only joking, right?  See, I still have really brittle bones.  A punch in the face like she gave Javik, or T’Soni?  It’d probably snap my neck like a dried twig.  You won’t let her do that, right?  EDI? Right?”

EDI almost felt… sorry?... for the usually smart-assed pilot.  His fear of retaliation by the specialist was evident in his expression.  “I am unable to monitor her every waking moment, Jeff.  You may wish to enlist the aid of Commander Shepard; she is all over this ship and appears to never sleep. In the meantime,” EDI smiled as she finished, “you may request my services as an escort.  I can accompany you when you need to leave the bridge. I do not believe she will attempt an attack while I am with you.”

* * *

*** DECK THREE • MED BAY*  
– 1630 –**

Dr. Liara T’Soni wa _s dreaming… about her home on Thessia.  Plains of luxuriant vegetation, dotted with numerous lakes and streams, rolled out before her all the way to the distant mountains southwest of her estate.  Shepard had accompanied her for a bit of R &R so they could see the sights, enjoy each others company.  Strolling hand in hand along the bank of a peaceful lake, she turned towards her lover to ask how she was enjoying her visit, only… it was not Rachaél.  The person turned to face her, talked to her in some strange language, then punched her in the face, again and again, leaving her lying in the sand at the lakes edge, bleeding from the nose, from the mouth.  She groaned… unable to speak or cry out for help.  She reached out, silently praying to the Goddess that someone, anyone would see her, help her.  It seemed like an eternity before a tall, silvery woman appeared in her line of sight, bent down, reached out and grabbed her hand.  She pulled and lifted with surprising strength, helped her to her feet.  Liara staggered as the silvery woman placed an arm around Liara’s waist, lending much needed support, helping her to walk.  Her vision was becoming hazy, as if a mist from the lake was surrounding her.  She had to rest, to sit down, for just a minute…_

…she found herself lying down once again, this time on a bed.  Not hers.  Too uncomfortable, but at least not the sand and gravel of the lake shore.  Smells of disinfectants and industrial strength cleaners.  Lights.  Too many sources for outside.  Not even her compartment.  She risked opening an eye.  Not a wise decision!  Her limited view through the slit she allowed her eyelids to create confirmed her apprehension.  She was in the med bay on the _Normandy_ , lying on her right side on a bed/examination table.  There were sheets, thin blankets.  A low volume beeping from somewhere overhead and behind her.  An uncomfortable sensation in the back of her left hand.  Bringing her hand to her face brought a twinge of… pain?... soreness, to her shoulder.  She discovered a needle in the back of her hand, held in place with a narrow piece of surgical tape.  A liquid-filled tube attached to the needle led off… to somewhere.  She was unable to see without moving her head, an action she did not feel capable of performing.  She left her arm in its new position, her hand resting in front of her face on the pillow, fingers curved, relaxed.  She started to drift off into the oblivion of a drug induced sleep.

A voice quietly asked from behind her, “Awake, are we?”  There was a weariness to the voice… the sound of someone who had experienced everything bad about the galaxy without having had the time to experience… to enjoy… that which was good.

 _Rachaél?_   Liara tried to form a few words, but nothing came out.  She was finally able to manage a groan of assent.

“I’ll take that as a ‘maybe’,” came the snarky response.   _That_ was Rachaél.  Liara started to turn over in the bed.  “Don’t.  Lie still.  Just listen.”  Liara relaxed.

“I am sorry, Liara.  I realize now that my love for you has blinded me.  When I still had a body, when I was still human, I was responsible for the well being of everyone on this ship.  I don’t believe that changed as a result of my ‘death’ on the Citadel.  There is some purpose, some task I have not yet completed that brought me… my spirit, mental self, whatever you wish to call it… back to this ship.”

“Rachaél, I…,” Liara managed to croak, causing Shepard to pause.  “…mistake… should not have…,” was all she managed to get out past her sore mouth.  There was something else there, pressure, metal, across her front teeth.  A puzzlement.  She used the tip of her tongue to explore this addition to her mouth as Rachaél continued.

“Liara, you know Specialist Traynor has hated Javik ever since I activated the Crucible… hell, since we revived him on Eden Prime.  Even after I managed to broker a peace between them, he didn’t hesitate an instant when presented with an opportunity to murder her.  I failed to support her after we stopped him… that is totally my fault.  Do you feel you made a mistake standing up to Traynor after she punched Javik?”

Tears had welled up in the asari’s eyes.  It broke her heart to hear Rachaél sound so discouraged, so sad.  “She threatened… no choice… had to…”

“Liara, you simply must learn when to walk away from a fight.  I know you’re stubborn, but really?  Without a weapon or your biotics to help extract your foot from your mouth?”

The old Earth reference was lost on the asari.  “Wha…?  Foot?”  Makes no sense…”

Rachaél sounded ever so slightly amused.  “Old human expression.  Not important.  I should have tried to reason with her when she confronted you.  Ordering her to stand down, then having EDI grab her arm?  That was the trigger, apparently.  Alenko told me the Alliance trained her and others like her to react without thinking.  Apparently saved her life more than a few times, even against weapons fire, before the program was terminated.”  Rachaél paused for several seconds, as if gathering her courage.  “There’s plenty of blame to go around, Liara, but ultimately, it was my job to keep everyone safe from harm, and I failed miserably.  You should not have been on that shore party… Traynor either.  Bad choices, both of them.  I am so incredibly sorry I could not physically intervene before Samantha hit you.  You are the love of my life, and I could not protect you. Can you forgive me?”

The tears seeping from Liara’s eyes increased in quantity.  “Shepard, I…,” her voice hitched.  “…you did nothing wrong.  Please…” Liara slowly turned over on her other side so she could see Rachaél’s avatar.  Her efforts triggered alarms from the same area as the previously measured beeping, which had increased in tempo to match her exertion.  “… you did… best wif… ’vailable info.  Notchur fault… notchur fault…,” her voice trailed off.

The entry hatch swooshed open to reveal Dr. Chakwas rushing into the Med Bay.  “Dr. T’Soni, are you okay?”  She held up her own omni tool.  “Your bed is sending alarms to my monitor.”

“My fault, Doc.  Just having a quiet chat with Liara,” Rachaél explained. “Her movements must have set off the alarms.  Sorry.”

Karen walked up to the bed.  Waving her omni tool over the semi-conscious asari, she looked at the readings and compared them to the previous stats.  Satisfied with the results, she yawned.  “Shepard, Liara?  I’m going back to my quarters, see if I can get some sleep.”

“Liara, I will talk to you later.” Shepard’s avatar faded out as the hatch swished closed behind the departing doctor, leaving Liara to fall back into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

Žiuk’Durmah needed to have a discussion with SHEPARD-NORMANDY, but did not want to announce this to the entire ship.  What to do?  Having ‘seen’ the crew communicate with primitive written messages, created and delivered back and forth through their omni tools, Žiuk’Durmah decided to utilize this technology.  But it needed to be directed at a specific individual.  With a thought, it scanned the entire ships roster and chose the one person on board that would understand the urgency and importance of secrecy.  The text generation was simple.  A one line message.  ‘TO: TRAYNOR-SPECIALIST; FROM: ŽIUK’DURMAH; SUBJECT: MESSAGE FOR SHEPARD-NORMANDY; **›URGENTLY NEED TO CONVERSE WITH SHEPARD-NORMANDY; TIME: 2200 LOCAL SHIP; LOCATION: NORMANDY WAR ROOM; RESPONSE REQUESTED.‹**   END MESSAGE.

Žiuk’Durmah sent the message and waited.  This was a new experience.  It was eager to discover if this ancient form of communication would be as effective as simply projecting its voice into the hull of the ship.  Žiuk’Durmah chose not to use the even faster direct-to-mind linkage, due to lingering paranoia regarding Reaper indoctrination.  Traynor’s reply hit the Reaper’s message processor within minutes.  Traynor-Specialist was prompt.  “Žiuk’Durmah.  Shepard-Normandy will meet with you as requested.”

* * *

*** DECK TWO • WAR ROOM *  
– 2159 –**

Shepard’s avatar appeared in its usual location to the right of the QEC compartment entrance.  Specialist Samantha Traynor came through the door at the same time.  “Commander… I see you received my message.”

Shepard asked, “What’s this about, Specialist.  Why would Žiuk’Durmah contact you, and with a text message?”  Traynor had a theory, but a projection of a Sovereign class Reaper materializing in the main projection well forced her to postpone answering the question until the conclusion of the meeting.   ** _Shepard-Normandy.  Traynor-Specialist.  We appreciate being able to meet with you._**

Shepard responded. **“What do you need to discuss, Žiuk’Durmah?”**

**_We studied the remnants of the destroyed projector device EDI-hybrid-synth was recently using.  We have replicated a similar device for your use, Shepard-Normandy.  It has been placed on the platform outside Normandy-frigate’s air lock.  We wish to learn if it will operate as did the previous device.  Please have EDI-hybrid-synth retrieve the device and test it.  We believe it will have increased range, less interference and better appearance of the projection.  Please report back in twenty standard hours._ **

**“Our thanks, Žiuk’Durmah.  We will contact you in twenty.  Logging you out.”**

“Traynor, please send a text to EDI regarding Žiuk’Durmah’s request.”  Shepard paused, then added, “Tell her to have James with her, shotgun ready, before she opens the outer hatch.  I don’t want her to encounter any unannounced returns of a Prothean nature.”

“Do you think Žiuk’Durmah might have returned Javik to the _Normandy_?”

“I don’t like surprises, Traynor.  We don’t need any more people disabled because I’m not taking precautions.”  Shepard went back to her original question as Traynor sent the request to EDI.  “I’m still puzzled.  Why would Žiuk’Durmah contact you, and with a text message no less?”

“I believe it did not wish to announce its request through the entire ship, Commander.  Since it wished to talk to you alone, it sent me a text, which…,” here she reactivated her omni tool, entered several commands, then closed it down and continued, “…I just forwarded to computer memory and deleted from my own local record.  I believe it chose me as the recipient because I’m listed on the crew roster as the communications specialist.”

Shepard replied in a thoughtful tone, “Makes sense, I suppose.  Surprising such an advanced being would resort to such a primitive method of communication.”

Traynor thought for a moment before replying.  “When you sent text messages to the HUD in the shuttle, you only had to… ’think’ the message and direct it to the correct interface.  It would be the same with Žiuk’Durmah.  As an intelligent machine, it would only need an address… my omni tool… to be able to send its thoughts as text.”

“Why not just send the thoughts directly to me?  Bypass the interface?”  Shepard inquired before thinking about the source of the message.

“Indoctrination, Commander.  What would you have thought if it had sent the request straight into your processors… your memory.  Personally, I would have screamed my bloody ‘ead off.”

They were interrupted by EDI entering the war room.  “Commander?  Specialist?  I have retrieved the object,” here she indicated a small device clipped on her belt, “sent by Žiuk’Durmah.  Shall I bring it online?”

“Have you inspected it?  What is its energy source?”  Shepard asked.

“It appears to utilize a dark energy core, similar to the device Kai Leng used on Thessia.  I believe the image generated will be affected less by structural component interference from bulkheads and decking on this ship.”  EDI tilted her head as she thought for a moment.  “It also may have a distance advantage over the one I was previously carrying.  I can have Tali’Zorah inspect it, if you wish.”

“Sounds like a good plan, EDI.  Ask Tali to join us here in the war room.  Specialist Traynor, no need for you to hang around any longer.  It’s been a long day.  You are dismissed.”

Traynor was only too happy to leave.  “Aye aye, ma’am.  Thank you.”

* * *

_**A/N:** So, a number of loose ends have been tied up. Steve, James and Garrus (and especially Joker) all have a new, healthy respect for Samantha Traynor’s abilities. Sam is coming to terms with Shepard’s existence in the computer, and Liara (although she’s blissfully unaware of most everything around her) may be gaining some much needed assistance._


	22. Shadow Broker's Assistant

_Information is power.  Information empowers.  Information is powerless if not applied_  - Saji Ijiyemi

* * *

 *** DECK THREE • MEMORIAL WALL ***  
**– 0635 –**

Gabriella Daniels walked out of the women’s head, terry robe casually tied, hair wrapped in a towel, sweaty exercise clothes and towel in an equipment bag.  She was going to the crew quarters to get dressed when she noticed a lone figure standing silently, hands clasped behind her back, in front of the memorial wall.  Gabby debated with herself about whether or not to approach and talk to the crew member; mentally shrugging her shoulders, she moved to stand on the woman’s left side, discovering as she did so that the lone figure was Specialist Traynor.  “G’morning, Specialist.  Nice to see you.”  Gabby would have kicked herself if it were physically possible… what a lame hello!

Samantha turned a tear stained face to look at the engineer.  Wiping her face with the backs of her hands, she sniffed, then grinned when she saw the engineer and responded, “Gabby?  Aren’t you just a bit underdressed for your shift?”  indicating the barely cinched robe and the amount of skin being displayed.  “I’m sure Kenneth would approve, but I expect he’d have a difficult time doing any real work, given his fascination with the female chest.”  Sam didn’t voice her own opinion, ‘ _I know it’d be a distraction for me.’_

Gabby blushed as she looked down at the ‘V’-shaped vertical line of exposed skin between her breasts.  “Boobs do make men stupid, don’t they?  And it takes very little bare female skin for Kenneth to become a droolin’ knuckle dragger.  Don’t reckon that will ever change.  Sorry…”  She set her bag on the deck and grabbed the edges of her robe, overlapped them more completely, then re-cinched the tie around her waist.  “One gets used to a routine around here, so I didn’t expect anyone to be out here this early.  If you don’t mind my asking, how come you’re out here so early yourself?”

“You’ve no doubt heard the tale by now, how I injured my friends… my crewmates.  I had a long talk with Shepard yesterday, after the hearing, after I apologized to EDI and tried to apologize to Liara.  We discussed my lack of faith in her continued existence… she finds it disturbing.  I’ve been thinking about all we’ve been through since escaping dry dock in Vancouver.  I’m still finding it quite difficult to believe Shepard is really alive.”

Gabby gently placed her hand on Traynor’s upper arm as she said, “Samantha, you have to have a little faith.  I believe Commander Shepard’s… soul?… left her body when it was absorbed by the energy wave in the Crucible.  I was part of the Cerberus run Lazarus cell that rebuilt her.  Her body was a clone.  Were you aware of that?”

“After the crew had to fight a Shepard clone on the Citadel, you might say I’m aware of that fact,” Sam answered, without a hint of the snarkiness her words implied.  “I also realize she had a fair number of implants.”

Gabby grinned.  “That’s an understatement.  Near as I can figure, the commander had 275 to 350 electronic implants, top to bottom, including her eyes, which you probably noticed displayed a red glow in low light.  Most of ‘em were Reaper tech, modified by Cerberus specifically for her… platform.”

Gabby gently rubbed Sam’s arm with her hand.  “There were even some skeletal enhancements, titanium stiffeners in her legs and arms.  Her L3 implants were replaced with some kind of hybrid piece of tech I never saw before, haven’t seen since.  Her biotic capabilities?  For a human they were totally off the chart.  She was capable of far more than most people knew, probably more than she was even aware.”

Traynor asked, “How many clone bodies were on that station, Gabby?  Do you know if the station is still intact?”

“It was overrun with mechs killing everyone on board.  Cerberus remotely destroyed it after Shepard was rescued.  Miranda Lawson and Jacob Taylor got her to safety on another space facility, where Kenneth and I were waiting on this ship.”  Gabby looked down as if thinking.  “I am aware of only one other surviving cloned body… the one killed by Shepard on the Citadel.  I know there was a lot of tech on Cronos, but that station was pretty heavily damaged after Shepard went in to retrieve info on the Crucible.”

Traynor covered Gabby’s hand with her own as she looked back at the names on the wall.  She ran the fingertips of her left hand across the lettering on one nameplate placed in the center.  Looking back at Gabby, she said, “James tells me you’re one ‘ell of a kick boxer, Gabby.  Perhaps I could come down to watch your routine sometime.”

Gabby gently pushed on Sam’s arm, forcing the specialist to turn slightly towards her.  “Your company would be most welcome, Samantha… anytime.”  She gave Sam’s arm a squeeze as she smiled at her, then pulled her hand away and turned to leave for the crew compartment.  Picking up her equipment bag, she parted with “Gotta get dressed and have a bite to eat.  Talk to you soon.”

* * *

 *** DECK THREE • STARBOARD SIDE, MED BAY ***  
**– 0655 –**

Dr Karen Chakwas was sitting at her desk, entering data from her just completed scan of Laura T’Soni’s condition.  The asari info broker was healing quite nicely, but the doctor had decided to keep Liara for one more night.  As for Liara, she had awakened briefly when the doctor had disturbed her, then sighed and went back to sleep, due in no small part to the pain killers making up a portion of the intravenous fluid dripping into her system.  Karen looked up and over her shoulder as the door hissed open to reveal Samantha nervously standing outside.  “Why Specialist Traynor.  What brings you here so early in the morning?”

Traynor glanced in Liara’s direction, then returned her attention back to Dr  Chakwas.  “How’s she doing, Doc?  She awake?”

“She’s doing fine, Samantha.  I think she’s sleeping, but she’d probably enjoy a bit of company.  Come on in.”

Samantha smiled and walked past the door far enough for it to auto close.  “I just wanted to know if her apology yesterday was genuine, or simply drug induced… plus, I have a present for her.”

“Go on over… talk to her.  I’ll go get a cup of what passes for coffee these days… give you both a bit of privacy.”

“Thanks, Doc.”  Samantha walked slowly to Liara’s bedside.  She winced as she saw how badly the area around her nose and eyes was bruised, but at least the swelling had gone down.  “Liara?  Dr T’Soni?  Can we talk?”  Sam asked quietly.  Liara stirred but didn’t answer.  Sam placed a hand on Liara’s arm, sliding it up to her shoulder and back to her elbow.  “Liara?  I have something for you.”

The asari’s eyelids fluttered, then slowly opened.  As Liara focused on her visitor’s face, she let out a huge sigh and asked, “Traynor.  What do you want?”  Her tone sounded…  not unfriendly, but not happy either.

Sam was not going to give up now.  “Liara, I just wanted to apologize again for injuring you.  I am so very sorry.  You told me yesterday that you forgave me.  I just wanted to make sure it wasn’t the ‘happy’ drugs speaking for you.”

“I remember… ,” Liara sighed.  “I’m still upset with you, but I do forgive you, Samantha, and I will eventually forget all about it… well, once the metal in my mouth has been removed.”  She parted her lips as she smiled, revealing Dr Chakwas handiwork with wire and clips.  “There’s also the patch on my nose… has me looking cross-eyed a lot.”

Samantha squeezed her eyes shut as she brought her free hand to her mouth.  “Oh Liara! I didn’t realize how bad…” she whispered.

Liara reached out her hand.  “Samantha… ”

Traynor opened her eyes.  Seeing Liara’s outstretched hand, she took it gently in hers, eliciting a slight intake of breath from the asari.  Glancing at the back of the cool blue hand she was holding revealed skinned knuckles, her reward for punching EDI in the mouth.  “Probably a good thing you had your gloves on,” Sam said with a snarky tone.  “I’m surprised you didn’t sprain your wrist as well.  How are your fingers?”

“I’m not used to punching people in the mouth, especially those with titanium jaws,” came the equally snarky reply, “although, if I had hit the back of your head, the resulting damage would most likely have been as severe.”  Liara, despite being upset with Sam, found herself enjoying the contact with the human’s hand, just as she had secretly enjoyed massaging Sam’s neck and upper body when they had shared the shower several days ago.  ‘ _Forgive me, Rachaél’,_  she thought to herself.  She realized just how much she missed the physical contact of her relationship with the commander.  _‘Focus!’_ she told herself.  “You said you had something for me?”

Sam continued to lightly massage Liara’s hand as she brought up her other hand.  “It has taken me a long time, Liara, but… I have come to believe in the continued existence of Commander Shepard.  I took the liberty of removing the nameplate…” here she held the engraved plate by its edges between thumb and fingertips for Liara to see, “… you placed on the memorial wall.  It doesn’t belong there if the Commander is still alive, regardless of her not being in possession of a flesh and blood body.”  Sam nodded at the server compartment bulkhead as she added, “I thought you might wish to place this next to the compartment entrance.”

Liara’s increased smile was accompanied with a small groan.  “Oooh.  Dammit.  Hurts to smile.  My mouth is still a bit sore.”  She lightly covered her mouth with the palm of her other hand, which Sam noticed still had an IV needle and drip line.

Looking at the nameplate, she brought her hand back down and continued, “That sounds like a lovely idea, Samantha.  I am surprised one of us hadn’t thought to do that before now.  Go ahead.  Put the nameplate where you think it should go.”

“No.  I want to wait until you’re back on your feet,” Sam declared.  “We’ll do it together, Liara.  The Commander is your bond mate.  You should be standing there.  She should be standing with you as well.”

“How would that be possible?”

“Žiuk’Durmah provided us with a replacement portable projector.  EDI will test its functionality today and report back to Žiuk’Durmah at 2200.  It should be an improvement on the one that EDI smashed… ,” Samantha paused and looked down towards her feet.  “… when I took her down,” Sam finished quietly.

“I am curious, Samantha.”  Liara said.  “Why did the major let you off without any punishment?  It would seem that there were no consequences for your actions.”

“The punishment Alenko handed out was certainly less than we had discussed prior to my hearing.  He placed a reprimand in my jacket… my personal Alliance file, which will be removed in six months, providing I stay out of trouble.”  Sam leaned over Liara so she could lower the volume of her voice.  “The Alliance trained me for black ops missions, Liara.  My hand-to-hand skills are second to none, and once I’ve been triggered, I’m pretty much on an automatic trajectory until the job is complete.  Went on several highly classified missions after training.”  Samantha stood back up.  “Alliance terminated the program, sealed all the records when they couldn’t figure out a cost effective way to get around biotic capabilities.”

“Sounds like you’d be a brutally effective opponent,” Liara commented.  “I thought your skills were in comm systems.”

“Part of my missions.  I was the hacker and comm specialist.  My intrusions were undetectable.  Hand-to-hand skills were for eliminating interference prior to, during and after a mission.  I’ve killed a fair number of batarians and turians… ,” Sam paused, then almost as an afterthought, softly added, “… along with a few asari that didn’t see me coming.”

“I’ve been told you spared Javik’s life.”  Liara gently rubbed the back of Sam’s hand with her thumb.  “What stayed your hand, Samantha?”

“Last of ‘is race.  I didn’t want to be remembered for finishing the extinction of the Protheans, Liara.  I hate the bastard, more than you know.  Best thing to do, let him live by himself for the rest of ‘is days.  That superior imperialistic attitude will never change.  He wouldn’t apologize for attempting to strangle me.  That’s all I wanted… just an acknowledgement that I’m not some bloody primitive, with no thoughts or feelings of my own.  Remember our discussion with Alenko in the crew’s mess, when we were still grounded?  I asked both of you if he ever called anyone by their name.  That hasn’t improved.  My training taught me to recognize potentially deadly people, Liara.  With Javik, the alarms in my head started the minute he was brought on board.  They have not gone away… they’re just muted, background sounds in my mind.”

Liara was quiet for several minutes, her eyes half-closed as if deep in thought.  “I had thought of co-authoring a book with him… a history to clear up the unknowns and speculation about the Protheans.  I don’t expect that will happen now.”

“You can still do that, Liara,” Sam replied in a more cheery tone.  “I seriously doubt he will attempt to kill you.  Your biotics more than match anything he can do.  I don’t have that advantage.”

Liara stirred around a bit, attempting to gain a bit of comfort in a bed obviously designed by a sadist.  “Damn, my hip has gone all tingly.  I need to get out of here… get back to my quarters so I can sleep in my own bed.”

“Is there anything I can do to help you?”  Traynor asked.

“I need to talk to Dr  Chakwas.  Can you find her… ask her to come see me?”

“I’ll be right back, Liara.”  Samantha freed Liara’s hand, setting the nameplate on the bed as she turned to leave the Med Bay.  Liara sighed as she thought about their conversation, and how nice it felt to hold Sam’s hand.

* * *

 *** DECK FIVE • HANGER BAY ***  
**– 0720 –**

Shepard and EDI had decided to postpone testing the new projector until start of dayshift.  They had asked Lieutenant Cortez to accompany the projection around the hanger to observe distance effects on the quality of the image.  As for Steve, he had mourned his commander’s passing when the Crucible fired.  Shepard thought nothing of sacrificing herself to end the conflict; her main concern had always been the people under her command.  Cortez had lost a lot to the Reapers and their agents, including a woman he held in very high esteem, so it was like a dream come true for him to be able to walk with her… to talk with her, after so much time.  “Commander, how has it been for you, being in the computer server all these weeks?”

Shepard’s projected image strolled towards the hanger door, hands clasped behind her back, just as if the image was really human.  She looked at the Lieutenant and replied, “There’s nothing I can use for comparison, Steve.  It’s an endless maze of corridors, running in all six directions.”  Shepard looked at the deck plating they were walking on.  “I can be in several places in the ship at once.  I can fly and fight this bird as well as the Flight Lieutenant.  I am exactly what Major Alenko feared I’d become.  Doesn’t really matter.  Žiuk’Durmah and Harbinger both believe a clone body can be… ’grown’ for my use, just as Cerberus did after the SV-1 was destroyed by the Collectors.  We just need to get back to a system with a Mass Relay.  The relay in the Trebia system should be repaired by the time we arrive.  Hopefully, the Charon relay will be online as well.”

Turning her attention towards the rear of the hanger, she called out, “Hey EDI,” in a loud voice.  “We’re at the main door.”  She stopped and turned to face back the way they had come.  EDI was standing at Steve’s console, monitoring her progress.  “How do I look?  Still fairly solid?”

“The pixilation you suffered with the previous generator does not exist with this unit, Shepard.  Please turn to port and walk behind the shuttle while Lieutenant Cortez observes.  You may also wish to descend into the maintenance trench for an inspection of the shuttle’s underside.  There should be ample opportunity for interference under there.”

Shepard did as EDI requested, leaving Cortez to watch her progress as she moved in front of the shuttle, then down into the maintenance trench as EDI had suggested.  Cortez looked at EDI and said, “No change EDI.  Image is rock solid.  I would expect we’re about at the maximum distance for stability.  Should we walk around the ship?”

“That would be a good idea, Lieutenant.  Please escort Commander Shepard to the bridge and observe the stability of her image while I remain here to monitor her progress.”

Shepard climbed out of the shuttle maintenance trench; rejoining Steve, they walked back towards the elevator side-by-side.  As they walked past Steve’s console, she said, “We’ll stop on deck four and wave from the observation windows, EDI.”

“Very well, Shepard.  I have asked Tali’Zorah to join me here,” EDI replied.  “We need her help in analyzing this devise… its power source, how it employs its energy.”

“That will be good, EDI.  We also need to know how to maintain the device, how to recharge it.  We’ll need to have a full report ready for Žiuk’Durmah at 2200.  Talk to you later.”  With that, she accompanied Steve Cortez into the elevator.

* * *

*** DECK THREE • MED BAY ***

Doctor Chakwas entered the Med Bay with Specialist Traynor at her heels.  Walking up to Liara’s bed, she commented, “I understand you are ready to leave my establishment, Liara.  Mind if I ask why?”

“This bed was designed as a torture device.  Is it really necessary to keep me here?”

“I’d like to continue monitoring your recovery, Liara.  The bed monitors your vitals and alerts me to any changes, as it did yesterday when Shepard was talking to you.”

Traynor interrupted with, “I can stay with her, Doctor.”

Liara and Doctor Chakwas both looked at the specialist as one.  “What are you saying, Samantha?”  Liara asked.

“Commander Shepard suggested I consider working with you as an assistant, rather than requesting a transfer off the Normandy,” Traynor replied.  “She said it’s possible Major Alenko can arrange to have me assigned as an Alliance liaison to the Shadow Broker, if you would allow it.  She thinks you could use an assistant, and I don’t seem to have as much to do since the conclusion of the Reaper war.”

Karin was skeptical.  “Liara?  I would really like to keep you one more night for observation.  I don’t think you’re quite ready to return to work just yet, but if the specialist here is willing to stay with you, I might be willing to let you return to your own quarters.”

Liara looked from Dr  Chakwas to Samantha.  “You would be willing… to help me… after all we’ve just gone through?”

“I can help you, Liara.  I’m an intelligence specialist, a numbers cruncher.”  Sam was struggling to convince Liara of her sincerity.  “I studied mathematics and statistical analysis, computer science, astrophysics.  I think I could be a real asset to you and your operation as the broker.  The question for you is… would you allow me to work with you… support you.  Are you willing to trust me as an assistant?”

Liara looked back to Doctor Chakwas.  “I don’t want to spend another night on this slab.  I’m still a bit upset with her, but I trust the specialist.  And I really must be allowed to sleep in my own bed.”  She turned her attention back to Samantha.  “I’ll allow you to help me on a trial basis… ” she held up a hand as Sam smiled.  “… a trial basis, for now.  We have some months to travel before we reach the Apien Crest.  Once we’re back in turian controlled space, we’ll reassess the arrangement.  Does that sound fair to you?”

“More than fair, Dr  T’Soni.”

“And it’s simply ‘Liara’, Specialist, Okay?”

Chakwas set her hands on her hips, looked at Sam and sighed.  “She’ll just be on the port side of this deck, Ma’am,” Samantha added.  “If I ask Commander Shepard, I’m sure she’d be happy to keep track of your location on the ship so I can find you in a hurry if I need you.”

“I’m not sure I want to be that closely monitored, but… okay, Specialist.  I’ll get Liara ready to leave.  Come back in twenty minutes.”

“Samantha,” Liara said as she activated her omni tool.  “Here’s the code to unlock the door to my quarters.”  Traynor’s tool auto-activated as Liara transmitted the code.  “Grab some of your stuff.  We’ll find some storage space for you.”

“Thanks, Liara.  I’ll be back shortly.”  Retrieving the memorial nameplate she’d laid on Liara’s bed, she left the Med Bay.

* * *

*** Žiuk’Durmah's Habitat Section ***

Javik facial wounds were healing well, due in no small part to the nanites in his blood… nanites received as part of Shepard’s sacrifice on the Citadel.  Žiuk’Durmah was pleased there appeared to be no permanent damage to the nose and mouth of the last Prothean in existence.

The giant machine was doing everything in its power to keep the difficult Prothean happy, and had opened up it archives to Javik, allowing him access on an unprecedented scale.  Javik had told Žiuk’Durmah about his desire to co-author a book with the asari named T’Soni on the true history of the Protheans, a work that could clear up the misconceptions and guesswork about the galaxy-wide civilization wiped out by the Reapers 50,000 years ago.  He told Žiuk’Durmah he felt regret that the book may never be written, due to his own imperialist attitude towards the races of this cycle.  He was surprised to learn from Žiuk’Durmah that the human woman responsible for his injuries was now working with the asari, to what end he could only guess.  Žiuk’Durmah told him to not give up his hopes of collaboration with Liara T’Soni.

During his research, Javik discovered the mass relays every space-faring civilization today attributed to his own race had seen at least 10,000 ‘harvests’ over a 500 million year time span.  It would be anyone’s guess as to the actual age of the relays, but none were as old as Harbinger, the first Reaper constructed from the defeated and mostly extinct Leviathans.  Javik added all this to the voluminous notes he had already recorded.  He was becoming more determined every day to create a factual history.

He had also discovered there were a large number of Protheans of his own cycle that uncovered the true reason for the existence of the relays, known during his own time as ‘phase gates’.  These visionaries were derided as ignorant alarmists at best, lunatics at worst, and they were never able to convince the ruling council of sixteen of the coming danger.  It was these people that teamed with a number of sympathetic scientists, the best minds of their time, to begin a research facility on Ilos, constructed mainly under the ruins of the Inusannon, the race formerly native to the planet.  All contact with the rest of the empire has been terminated as they turned their attention to the construction of a mass relay… one capable of a one-way connection with the only other relay that mattered, the key relay to the entire network, able to provide access to the entire galaxy… the Citadel.

Javik had also been spending a lot of time attempting to locate his own home world in this cycle’s galaxy, and had narrowed his search to the Enoch system in the Rosetta Nebula.  Žiuk’Durmah was assisting, and told Javik this location was a good place from which to begin.  It told him It would take him there, if he wished, but in its great machine heart felt the likelihood of Javik successfully finding his own system was not good.  The Reapers had been extremely thorough in hiding evidence of their own existence and that of the Protheans; Žiuk’Durmah had been created near the end of the cycle of destruction, so did not possess complete records of the time when the Reapers poured through the Citadel relay to begin their harvest.

Javik knew from Žiuk’Durmah’s star charts the Rosetta Nebula was quite close to Sigurd’s Cradle, the galactic region of the Psi Tophet system, where the remaining Leviathans resided in their underwater home.  He had no desire to go within a hundred light years of the place, and would avoid that area of the galaxy at all costs.

* * *

*** DECK THREE • LIARA’S QUARTERS ***

Samantha anxiously unlocked and opened the door to T’Soni’s quarters, unsure of what she’d find within.  She had only been inside twice since the Normandy had escaped dry dock at the beginning of the Reaper attack; the first time was just prior to leaving the unnamed, uncharted planet on which the Normandy had been grounded.  More recently, after repairs had been completed and the Normandy was back in her element, Liara had invited her in just prior to Joker breaking orbit to head home.

She had barely taken two steps past the door frame when she was stopped by the familiar form of Glyph.  “Good morning, Specialist Traynor.  How may I be of service?”

“Dr  Chakwas has released Liara to my care,” she replied as she set a pair of overstuffed shoulder bags on the deck.  “As I will be staying with her here in her quarters, I am bringing some of my own clothing and supplies.  Now, please show me where Doctor T’Soni stores her clothing.”

Glyph revolved and bobbed twice, then floated purposefully past the information terminals, stopping in front of several shelves, behind a gauzy curtain by the starboard settee.  Sam followed the info drone, then stepped past to inspect the indicated area.  She found Liara’s underclothing, along with some casual pants and shirts.  One shelf contained a folded robe, the same one she had worn upon leaving the shower several days before.  She grabbed the robe and headed back for the Med Bay.

* * *

*** DECK THREE • MED BAY ***

“If you think for one moment I will leave here dressed in this pitiful excuse for a gown and robe, you are most terribly mistaken.”  Liara was standing next to the hated medical bed, looking down at her exposed thighs.  The robe, crafted from the remains of some long forgotten plant life, was so diaphanous it was virtually transparent.  Even with the hospital gown underneath, there appeared to be a fine view of her entire body from the neck down, with even the patterns in her skin dimly distinguishable.  Catching site of her reflection in the windows across the compartment, she was especially horrified to discover the lower portion of her bare bottom exposed for all the world to see; she may just as well be totally nude.  Liara T’Soni was no prude, but she did have some modesty, and was not going to parade through the crew’s mess area in less clothing than worn by an asari pole dancer in Purgatory.

Fixing Doctor Chakwas with an icy look, she was about to say more when the sound of the entry door opening sent her scrambling to grab a bed sheet to hold in front of herself.  She relaxed when she saw Specialist Traynor entering; she was overjoyed to see her own fluffy robe in the specialist’s hands.  “By the goddess, Samantha.  You must have read my thoughts.”  Liara tossed the sheet back onto the bed as Traynor came towards her, causing the specialist to pause as she moved to hand Liara her robe.  _’Nice legs!’_  was all Sam could think as she tried her damnedest not to stare.

Doctor Chakwas chuckled as she helped Liara out of the hospital issue she was wearing.  “I don’t know why you are so upset, Liara.  Samantha here has recently worn similar garments, and I don’t recall her complaining.”

Traynor quickly replied in a snarky tone, “I do believe my comments were something about never understanding why a person’s bum has to be out in the breeze when one is in hospital.”  She helped Liara into her robe, pulled it closed and cinched the tie at her waist.  “I moved a few of my things into your quarters, Liara,” she said quietly.  “Glyph is looking forward to your return.  I think it was… surprised that I’d be joining you.”

“No more surprised than I am, Samantha.”  Liara paused as she looked into Sam’s eyes, seeing something there that was… nervousness?  Anticipation?  “Now, if the good doctor here is done extracting tubes from my nether regions… ”

Dr  Chakwas chuckled again.  “Liara, where did you think all the liquid entering the vein in your hand was going to go?  Really?… have you never had a catheter inserted?”

Liara snorted, then replied, “I know I have more sympathy for what Tali and every other quarian female must endure living in their suits.  At least my own battle armor doesn’t require a tube inserted inside me every time I go groundside,” she finished in an indignant tone.  “Let’s go, Sam, before Dr  Chakwas changes her mind about releasing me and finds someplace else needing a drainage tube.”

Sam smiled and shrugged her shoulders at the doctor as she followed the indignant asari out of the Med Bay.

* * *

*** DECK FIVE • HANGER BAY ***

Tali almost bounced out of the elevator before the doors could completely retract into their pockets.  She was bare-headed, having removed her visor and helmet before coming down; her long hair was tied in a ‘pony’ tail at the base of her neck.  “Hi EDI.  What did you wish to see me about?”

EDI was getting used to seeing Tali without her headgear, but was still struck by just how odd it seemed that this lovely person and millions of her race had to spend their entire lives covered in environmental isolation.  “We have a new projector to use, thanks to Žiuk’Durmah.  The commander wants us to learn as much as we can about its construction… how it's powered, how it generates an image, how it's recharged.  She wanted you involved.”

Tali smiled happily…  There was nothing she loved better than getting her hands on shiny new tech, looking for flaws, probing its secrets, giving it a strenuous workout.  EDI continued, “Cortez is walking the decks with Shepard… that is to say, her projection, as she appeared prior to the final assault on Earth.”

“I know.  I ran into them in the Deck Four passageway.”

“How did the projection appear to you, Tali?  Was it steady, jerky, pixilated, snowy with interference?”

“It looked amazing, EDI,” she replied.  “It was obviously an image, not a real person, but still… it’s incredible to be able to see what she looked like, to be able to interact with her face-to-face, rather than looking at an avatar.”

“Excellent.  So, no interference?”

“None I could detect,” Tali replied.

“Thank you.  Now, look at this device.  I can detect no way to open it.  I would like to know what its power source consists of and how it recharges.  Also, Shepard suspects it utilizes dark energy to generate such a detailed projection.  We need to confirm that hypothesis, if possible.”

Tali picked up the projector.  “Hmmm.  Heavier than I expected, given its size.”  She turned it over and inspected the bottom closely.  “Looks as if it recharges by induction.  Where do we set it to recharge it?”

“A docking base was provided with the unit.  It must require a hard-wired connection to the ship’s electrical grid.  We’ll need to get Engineer Adams to take care of that for us.”

“Leave that to me,” Tali said.  Activating her omni tool, she recorded her findings as she continued to turn the device this way and that.  “The server compartment has the ideal location for the base to sit,” she declared.  “Power source appears to be a cell of dark energy, held in isolation within by an intense magnetic field.  No doubt that is the reason the outer housing is sealed.  Wouldn’t want to be near this thing if it wasn’t in a vacuum chamber when it’s opened, either on purpose or accidently.”  She grinned at the hybrid-synthetic woman.  “It appears it would survive being dropped, but I do not want to prove that hypothesis, EDI.”  Turning serious, she concluded, “If the projector we built had been similarly powered, it most likely would have taken off your hand when it shattered on the deck.”

EDI sent a text to Cortez.  ‘ _Lieutenant.  What is your location?  Is the image still stable?’_

 _'W_ _e’re in the short passage between the elevator and the entrance to the loft.  I’m seeing a bit of interference.  It’s coming and going rapidly’_  Steve texted back.

“Tali.  Stop moving the device,” EDI instructed, then responded to Cortez, ‘ _What about now?’_

_‘Seems to be stable.  What happened?’_

EDI said aloud what she was sending to Steve.  “The signal seems to be affected by movement of the device.  It needs to remain in one position to generate a stable image.”

Tali set the projector down.  “EDI, I need access to that terminal, please.”  EDI moved aside as she asked, “To what purpose, Tali’Zorah?”

Tali started entering commands on the terminal, her hands and fingers as much of a blur as Samantha’s fists had been when she punched Javik.  “I’m going to enter a sub-routine for command staff’s omnitools.  When this has been executed, the projector will be able to execute an auto-start routine, allowing anyone to summon Shepard from anywhere in the ship.  She will appear at whatever location the summoning omnitool is in… similar to how her avatar appears where she needs to be.  Only difference is, her avatar can be in multiple locations simultaneously.  I don’t think the projector is capable of generating multiple images.”

She finished entering her program and closed the terminal.  Bringing up her omni tool, she entered several commands, and was rewarded with Shepard’s image materializing in front of them.  Surprise was evident in Shepard’s expression.  “Tali?  What just happened?  I was on my way to the bridge with Cortez… ”

Cortez was sending a message to EDI.  _‘What just happened?  The commander’s image fizzled out… disappeared.  Everything okay down there?’_

Tali looked embarrassed.  “Damn.  Standby, Lieutenant.  I can fix that...”  She pulled up her program on the terminal and entered a number of new lines of code.  Closing the terminal, she said, “I just added a command structure to prevent what just happened from happening in the future.  Now, if someone requests Shepard’s presence with their omni tool, the projector will only comply if she is not already engaged elsewhere.  As soon as she’s done, there will be a fifteen second delay before the next request is executed.  We should try this right away.  I can see some real advantages to having this set up this way.”

Turning to leave, she said, “I’ll go see Engineer Adams.  We’ll find a place to set the base and hardwire it to the Normandy’s system… I think the server compartment would be the best area to store it.  It will be nice to see the commander walking the ship once again.”  Bringing up her omni tool, she sent a text to Lieutenant Cortez:  _’Bring up your omni tool and execute the new sub-routine I just sent.’_

Tali watched Shepard’s image as she silently counted down in her head.  When she reached five, she said, “See you later, Shepard,” and was rewarded with the image dissolving in a swirl of static.

* * *

*** DECK THREE • LIARA’S QUARTERS ***

Specialist Traynor followed Liara to the far end of her quarters, where the asari sat at the small terminal just outside her sleeping area.  “Doctor Chakwas said you shouldn’t do any work, Liara.  Can I do that for you?”

“I’m just going to check my info feeds, Sam.  No serious work, at least, not at the moment,” Liara responded as the display scrolled in front of her.  “What I really need is some solid food.  Something warm.  And some freshly brewed tea.  Then I’d like to take a nice hot shower.”

Sam thought for a moment, then turned to Glyph as she activated her omni tool.  “Glyph, send me a message if Dr  T’Soni needs any assistance while I’m out scrounging up some lunch for the two of us.”

Liara paused the display as she looked at the specialist.  “Samantha… ”

Traynor interrupted her with, “… no buts, Liara.  I’m here to assist you, take care of you.  I’m going to grab some food for us and we’ll eat in here.  If you want to shower after, then I will accompany you.”  She paused for a moment, then continued, “I’ll ask Major Alenko if we can use the shower in the loft.  It has a bit more room… enough for both of us, actually.”

“Sam, I don’t think… you don’t intend to… ” Liara rose from her chair and stood in front of Traynor, placing a hand on Traynor’s shoulder as she spoke softly, “… I’m not incapacitated, Sam.  I’m perfectly capable of getting my own food, taking a shower, getting dressed on my own.  What are you really after?  You must realize we cannot be… together.  My bond is with Shepard, for as long as she lives.”

Sam hoped her dark complexion hid the fiery blush she felt engulfing her cheeks.  She looked at the deck as she answered, “I admit to being attracted to you Liara.  But I respect you too much to take advantage of this… arrangement.  I want to help you, is all.  If you like, I will return to my own quarters this evening so you may sleep alone.”

Liara moved her hand beneath the specialist’s chin.  “That won’t be necessary,” she responded as she gently brought Sam’s head up and looked into her eyes.  “I appreciate the complement, and would be lying if I said I haven’t had a few thoughts of my own.”  She continued with a deep sigh, “But if this is going to work, and I realize neither of us are sexually dead, you need to forget about having a physical relationship with me.”  Liara gently cupped Samantha’s face with both hands.  “Do that, and we’ll get along just fine.”  She kissed Sam on the forehead, then released her face and turned back to her terminal as she said, “Let’s have some lunch.”

* * *

*** DECK TWO • BRIDGE ***

Cortez sent a text to EDI:  _‘On the bridge talking to the flight lieutenant.  Projection is stable, with a bit of pixilation moving through the image in a regular pattern.’_ He closed the tool in time to hear Shepard ask, “Still ready to watch James go toe-to-toe with Specialist Traynor, Joker?”

Joker shook his head as he answered, “Not in the least, Commander.  It would seem the title by which we refer to her?...Specialist?...means a hellova lot more than simply ‘ _Communications_ ’ Specialist.  I would not want that woman mad at me, and I said some pretty snarky things to her.  EDI said she’d protect me, but I’m not so sure even  _that_  will be enough.”

“Are Traynor or EDI the only women you wouldn’t want pissed off by your snarky attitude?”  Shepard asked.  “I mean, there’s Tali’Zorah.  Liara.  Hell, I think it would be healthier for you to avoid offending any of the women on this boat.  Have you ever watched Gabby’s early morning workout routine?  Go down to the hanger sometime between 0600 and 0630 and watch her punishing Vega’s heavy bag with her fists and bare feet; I think you’ll gain some respect for her abilities as well.”

“Point taken, Commander.  I _do_ need to consider my health.”

Cortez said, “Time to go, Commander.  We’ve been all over the ship.  The only other test I’d like to make would be in a shuttle, circling the compartment.  Have to request permission from Žiuk’Durmah.  Perhaps we should go visit Javik… see how he’s doing.”

“Okay Steve, lead on.  I’ll make the request at 2200 when we report our results.”

She said, “See you later, Flight Lieutenant,” as she turned to follow Cortez.  “I enjoyed my visit.”

Good to see you running around, Commander,” Joker replied.  “Much more satisfying than talking to an avatar.”

* * *

*** DECK THREE • LIARA’S QUARTERS ***

Sammy and Liara, seated on opposite sides of her sleeping area, were finishing breakfast by drinking tea.  “Delicious, Samantha.  Thank you for going to the trouble.  I really appreciate it.”  Liara set her cup on the tray, which she had placed on the table beside the settee.  Sliding back to the armrest, she turned sideways and swung her legs up on the cushion.

“No trouble at all, Liara,” Traynor replied.  “Oh, I ran into the major while I was preparing our food… asked him to come see us.  Hope you don’t mind.”

“When do you expect him, Sam?  I still want to take a shower, get dressed.”

“What’s the matter?  Don’t care for lounging around in a robe all day?”  came the snarky reply.

“Not really, no,” Liara replied with a giggle.  “I don’t think I could ever get used to not doing… I don’t know, something.  I have worked almost all my life, Sam, doing research, writing, digging for fossils, fighting geth, pirates, Cerberus, Reapers.  I don’t know what to do with myself, stuck inside this ship… itself stuck inside a monstrous living hybrid hurtling through space.  It seems to be taking forever, and I think it’s especially hard for me, as I’m used to being able to sit here and watch,” here Liara waved at the viewport behind Sam’s head, “the blue shifted emissions from our mass effect field, the distant stars and galaxies moving past.”

The door chime interrupted their conversation.  Reluctantly, Samantha stood and keyed the door lock, which turned green and allowed the door panels to retract.  Major Alenko stood outside, uncertainty showing in his expression.  “May I come in, ladies?”

Liara swung her legs around and stood, straightening her robe.  “Certainly, Major.  We were just finishing breakfast… lunch.  What can we do for you?”

“Samantha asked me to come by… something she wanted us to discuss together.  How are you feeling, Liara?  Sam treating you okay?”  He walked up to stand beside Sam.

“Like a blue porcelain figurine, actually… ” to which Sam snorted.  “… as if she’s afraid she’s going to do something that will shatter me.”

Alenko grinned.  “Better than the other way, Doctor.  Anyway, what did you need?”

Traynor looked at Liara before turning to address the major.  “Sir, Liara has agreed to having me work with her.  To that end, I… that is, we… are requesting that I be assigned as an Alliance liaison to the Shadow Broker, to assist her in any way necessary for her to successfully perform her work.”

Alenko turned thoughtful eyes on Liara.  “Is this what you want, Liara.  I can assign the specialist whatever duties I feel need to be done.  Commander Shepard and I discussed this previously.  She seems to think you’re working too hard and can use an assistant.”  Kaiden looked at Sam, then returned his attention to Liara.  “The specialist has less to do these days, except when we need her capabilities for high speed conferences with Harbinger.  You have the final say, Doctor T’Soni.  We can do this for as long as you wish, until we reach turian space.  Traynor has indicated she’d like to transfer off the Normandy at that time.  I’m hoping, perhaps with your assistance, she’ll change her mind and stay with this ship.”

Liara split her attention between the pair of humans as she replied in a thoughtful voice, “I won’t deny I could use the help, Major.  Samantha has all the qualifications needed to assist me… more than needed, actually.  She could take over the entire job, and none of my agents or enemies would ever know the difference.  I’d like to have her as my Alliance liaison, Major.  Please do what is needed to make that official.”

Alenko replied as he turned to leave, “Okay, ladies.  Let’s hope this works out for all of us.”  Traynor grabbed the food trays and hurried to follow Alenko.  “Be right back, Liara.”

* * *

 _ **A/N:** _ There’s a lot of little things happening on the Normandy, but the words tend to add up.  I hope all of you are still enjoying this.  As always, reviews are appreciated.  Thanks for all the follows and favs! [p.s. There is a line spoken by Darth Vader in _'Star Wars: Episode Four, A New Hope'_  that I paraphrased in the first section of the chapter.  No prize for finding it, but if you've seen the movie, you will remember what Vader did as he was speaking; the line ought to jump right out at you! ;p]


	23. Regarding Samantha and Xiùlán

_Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage_ _–_ Lao Tzu, 604 – 531 BC

* * *

 ** _NDA_** – Non-Disclosure Agreement  
**_XO_** – Executive Officer – second in command of the vessel; answers to the ship’s captain.

* * *

*** ARCTURUS STREAM • L5 LAGRANGIAN POINT of THEMIS *  
* SSV HONG KONG II • DECK THREE • PORT SIDE, XO QUARTERS ***

Staff Commander Yuán Xiùlán leaned back in her chair and stared unseeing at the datapad in front of her as she sat behind her desk, thinking about the twenty–three page report she had just re–read for the fourth time.  As Alliance mission reports went, it was actually pretty short, sparsely written, just what she’d expect from Rachaél Shepard.  In style and scope, it reminded her of the classified mission reports she herself had written not so many years ago, along with her… gǒushǐ!  [狗屎 – _dog shit_ ]Her mind had drifted back to  _that_  time again… when she had been part of a team consisting of Griffin Buchanan and…  Samantha Traynor.

Buchanan had always been the third wheel when they were all together.  She liked the guy well enough, just didn’t swing that way.  But Traynor.  She was the once in a lifetime, head over heels love of her life.  Thinking of Sam always brought back fond memories…  the _taste of her lips and tongue.  The faint scent of jasmine in her hair the few times they actually got to sleep together, legs intertwined, one arm across Sam’s torso, hand covering a breast.  The team had been split up when the Alliance terminated the black ops program, and everyone got thirty days of leave before reporting to their next assignments.  Her last night with Sam may just as well have been a dream, so fleeting was their time together… In a private tropical beach house on Fiji, moon shining on the waves sliding ashore, they had spent most of the night drinking, talking and making love, followed by skinny–dipping in the surf at dawn, where they kicked up their heels and splashed water at each other like a couple of squealing six–year olds.  Sam had to leave first, boarding a shuttle for Vancouver, where she would be working for Alliance R &D.  She remembered tasting salty tears, her own and Sam’s, as they embraced and kissed one last time before parting.  _Xiùlán shipped out late that same evening, heading to her new assignment on the SSV Tokyo.

Not knowing if Sam had survived the Reaper attack on Earth was literally killing Xiùlán.  The reports from Vancouver had been grim…  tens of thousands killed in the initial twelve hours, just over a million by week’s end.  Xiùlán and Sam had been keeping up contact via the extranet until a few days before the attack.  Sam had looked (and sounded) stressed and tired; she had been overseeing the fabrication and installation of some incredibly high-tech communications gear on the SR–2 Normandy, which had been impounded when Shepard had submitted to the Alliance issued arrest warrant.  Once the Reapers attacked, any communication with Earth outside official channels was impossible.  She knew Normandy had managed to get clear of the city; it was soon common knowledge Shepard had been reinstated as Lieutenant Commander and was back in command.  Her asari bondmate was aboard as chief information officer, but everything else about the former Cerberus vessel – crew names, assignments, ship movements, all of it – was a closely guarded secret, even within the Fifth Fleet.

The XO had waited two weeks after her meeting with Admiral Hackett to read the copied report in front of her.  Rescue of Amanda Kenson and escape from the batarian prison on Aratoht was SOP for Commander Shepard.  Kenson’s attempt to have the Reaper artifact indoctrinate Shepard, as an indoctrinated Kenson had done to everyone else, was the real turning point.  Kenson could not have known, probably would not have believed just how immune to anesthesia Shepard had become.

That she was able to single-handedly eliminate Kenson and everyone else opposing her seemed a brutal but understandable result of the attempted treachery they tried to inflict on her.

Carrying out Kenson’s original mission by flying the asteroid into the Alpha relay was a prime example of Shepard’s single-minded resolve to keep the Reapers in dark space as long as possible.  The six months she bought at the cost of over 350,000 batarian lives was subsequently wasted by Alliance Brass, as they not only grounded the Normandy, but confined her and her crew to quarters under guard as they wrung their hands in meeting after useless meeting.  The Citadel Council, concerned only with covering their own asses, had refused to heed the warnings or offer any help.  Fleet Admiral Hackett had known what was coming, as had David Anderson, who resigned his position on the council in favor of Donnel Udina, (who turned out to be the guī érzi xiànhài [龜兒子陷害 – _backstabbing son of a bitch_ ] everyone expected him to be.)

Hackett and Anderson had been Shepard’s mentors, Anderson since rescuing her after a slaver attack on Mindoir.  They both worked tirelessly behind the scenes to buy time, get Alliance defenses ready.  In the end it proved to be too little, too late.

The chime of her door lock interrupted her reverie.  Releasing the lock from her terminal, she unthinkingly said “Qǐngjìn,” then stood and saluted as Captain William Cody entered her office.  “Good morning, Captain,” she said as she closed and locked the hatch behind him.  “What may I do for you?”

He returned her salute and said, “At ease, Xiùlán.  Just wanted to check in.  I think my translator just glitched… was that Chinese?”

“Mandarin, yes.  Sorry Sir… lost in my thoughts this morning.  Thinking about… some ancient history,” Xiùlán replied.  “A woman I… worked with, Alliance, before the Navy.  She was in Vancouver, working in Alliance R&D when the Reapers hit.”  Xiùlán glanced at the framed photo on the corner of her desk, then looked back at her Captain.  “I haven’t heard from her since the week before that day, Sir.”

Cody had not climbed through the ranks to the captain’s post by being unobservant.  Picking up the photo, he studied the smiling faces captured in that moment… Xiùlán’s, and that of a woman of similar age, very pretty with a naturally dark complexion, brown eyes, brunette hair in a regulation cut.  “This woman have a name, XO?”

“Samantha Traynor, Sir.”  Xiùlán started to say more, but closed her mouth and pressed her lips firmly together.

Cody felt he needed a bit more information.  “This woman…  important to you, Yuán?”

Xiùlán looked down as her eyes started to fill.  She coughed to clear a throat she felt constricting, looked back up to the captain and said, “I would gladly give up my own life for her, Sir.”

Cody set the photo back in its place and sat in one of the two chairs in front of Xiùlán’s desk.  He studied her face as she returned to her own chair, choosing his words carefully.  “That kind of loyalty…  devotion that passionate?  It’s not something easily given, by anyone.  She must be very special indeed to have earned that kind of affection from you, Xiùlán.  I’m envious.”

“Don’t be Sir.  Sam and I went through some tough missions together, the details of which I cannot divulge, thanks to my signature on an Alliance NDA.  Suffice it to say… ” Xiùlán’s voice hitched as she recalled the mission, “… she pulled my broken ass out of the dìyù zhī zhăo… sorry, jaws of hell.  I nearly died; wanted to die, I was in so damned much pain.  Begged her to put a bullet in my head… leave me.  She refused to let me go, refused to give me over to my ancestors, Cap’n.  What kind of person does that?  Sounds clichéd, I know, but truthfully?  Samantha Traynor gave me a second life.”  Xiùlán planted both elbows on her desk with her hands over her eyes for several seconds; regaining her composure, she crossed her arms, elbows on her desk with hands gripping forearms and said in a quiet voice, “That is why I have so much empathy for the agony Shepard must have endured to complete her mission.  Almost beyond belief she pulled it off, severely injured, near death, all alone.”

Cody remained silent for a minute, then asked in a gentle voice, “I’ve never asked, because I felt you would tell me when you were ready.  You walk with a slight limp.”  He raised a hand to cut off her protest.  “It’s almost imperceptible, but it’s there, especially when you’re tired, which is probably all the time now, eh?  Care to talk about it?”

It was Xiùlán’s turn to sit silent for a few moments as she thought about how best to answer.  “Got shot in the left leg, Captain.  Polonium coated hammerhead round.  Tore through my kinetic shield and cuisse, shredded my thigh and femur, made me sick.”  She rose from her desk and walked around the end to stand in front of her captain.  “What I’m going to show you is why I prefer to shower alone.”  She unlatched her belt, then unbuttoned and slid her pants down below her knees.  “XO, I don’t think… ” Xiùlán waved his protest aside as she carefully rolled the thin fabric of her underpants down both thighs, coming to a stop at her knees; except for her thong, she was nude from the waist down.  The exposed skin on her left thigh had a large number of angry looking scars from just below her hip to right above her knee.  She turned to her right to show the back of her leg and butt, with similar scarring.

“They’re woven asymmetrically,” indicating her underpants.  “Specially made for me, paid for by the Alliance.  The legging on the left provides some compression and keeps my duty slacks from chafing the scars,” she explained.  “I was in an asari hospital for twelve weeks, then spent another twenty or so in rehab.  Doctors installed a carbo-fiber/titanium femur, top to bottom; did their best with skin grafts.  Sam visited between assignments, then took some leave and stayed with me when I was discharged.”  She used a fingertip to delicately trace one especially large scar, about 45cm below her hipbone; it looked like a frozen splash made in water.  “This is where the round entered.  I’m lucky it missed the artery.  I was due for more skin grafts, until the Reapers arrived.”

Cody was at a loss for words.  “Xiùlán, I am so sorry.  I didn’t know.”  He waved a hand, indicating for her to pull her clothes back up, which she did with a great amount of care.  “I take it some of those scars are from the medical procedures?  Still painful?”

“Hurts every day of my life, Sir…” she responded.  “… but not as bad as the batarian responsible for this damage.  Sammy ended his life as painfully as she could,” Xiùlán said as she returned to her chair.  “ ‘ _An eye for an eye_ ’ _?_   As I said, Traynor saved my life.  Part of what you just saw is the result of her efforts to keep me from bleeding to death _and_ losing my leg.”  Xiùlán leaned back and sighed.

“She managed to get the bleeding under control, splinted my leg, then used an omni tool light and field kit with a radiation detector to extract as much of that shattered round as she could find.  Felt like someone digging around with white-hot needles.  I was so sick I was puking my water.”

“Losing that leg would not have ended your career, Commander,” Cody said softly.  “There are plenty of old timers in the Alliance with artificial limbs.  I just wish I’d known about this sooner… ”

Xiùlán interrupted, “… respectfully, there was no reason for you to know, Sir.  It doesn’t affect my performance on this, or any other ship in the fleet.  Just because I’m not a ground pounder anymore don’t think for a second that I can’t turn a beefcake into a hamburger if I need to.”

“Point taken, Xiùlán.  I’ll say no more, except… I would dearly love to meet Traynor one day.  I need to thank her for saving your life.”

Noticing the datapad on her desk, Cody deftly changed the subject by commenting, “Doing a bit of light reading, I see.  Anything about Shepard’s mission seem odd to you?”

“She went in alone, Sir.  Seems Hackett didn’t want any of her ground team along for the ride.  Made for a difficult mission.”  ‘ _… A mission either myself or Samantha could have done just as easily, had the program not been terminated.  Wouldn’t have wanted to make that trip to Kenson’s asteroid though… ’_

“I believe Hackett wanted to keep the other members of Shepard’s squads out of that one.  Except for Miranda Lawson and Jacob Taylor, plus the two engineers on board, everyone was working directly for Shepard, not for Cerberus.”

“Don’t forget her pilot, Sir.  Jeff Moreau resigned his commission to join Cerberus, but in reality worked for the commander.  Doctor Karen Chakwas took a leave of absence from the Alliance; never joined ‘em, but she worked for Shepard as well.”

Cody leaned back in the chair a bit.  “The Alliance declared her KIA after the destruction of the SR-1 Normandy.  Moreau was grounded… they wouldn’t even assign him to pilot an elcor shit hauler.  Flying was the one thing he excelled at doing… of course he joined Cerberus.”  Cody chuckled as he continued, “I have it on good authority he was on board when the Reapers hit Vancouver.  He and the onboard VI hacked and released the docking clamps… he took the goddamned ship, skeleton crew and the few marines onboard, just like he took the SR-1 for a joyride from Arcturus before it was commissioned.  He retrieved Kaidan Alenko and James Vega from a high–rise near Alliance HQ, then snatched Shepard virtually out from under a Reaper destroyer on the docks.”

“And now the ship is lost,” Xiùlán said sadly.

“I don’t think so, Xiùlán… well, technically it  _is_  lost, but only to us.  I don’t believe it was destroyed by the blast from the Citadel; my gut tells me her crew not only survived but are on their way back to a settled system.  We’ll know soon, one way or another.  Harbinger should be arriving in system any time now.  I’m hoping it… he…  whateverthehell… will have some positive news for us.  Cheer up, XO.  Come on.  I’ll buy you breakfast.”

* * *

*** NORMANDY • DECK THREE, LIARA T’SONI’S QUARTERS *  
* 0100, Morning After Liara’s Release from Med Bay ***

It had been ages since Samantha Traynor had shared her bed with anyone, so the situation she found herself in this night felt strange, to say the least.  Doctor Chakwas had reluctantly released Liara from the Med Bay, because Liara insisted she be allowed to sleep in her own bed.  Traynor had volunteered to monitor her until Karen felt she was healed up enough to be fully released back to duty.

Now, thanks to Major Alenko, Sam was the official Alliance Liaison to the Shadow Broker, and Liara simply would not hear of Sam going back to her own bunk for the night.  So she now found herself attempting to get comfortable in the same bed with the asari she had punched in the nose and mouth less than a week before.  She felt the asari turn over behind her and snuggle up to her back, ‘spooning’ her, of all things.

“Sam, still awake?” she asked in a whisper, so quietly Sam wasn’t sure she had actually heard Liara speak.

“Afraid so, Liara,” came the whispered reply.  “Not used to sharing a bed, especially with… ”

“… an asari?”  Another whispered question, followed by a soft chuckle.  A cool to the touch arm slid under the covers and over Sam’s waist, the hand moving up the center of her chest to rest on the collarbones at her throat.  “I can help you sleep, if you wish.”

Sam could feel Liara’s breath on her neck just behind her ear when she talked.  Damn!  It had been too long.  “How would you do that, Liara?”

Liara didn’t answer.  Sam felt a tingling sensation just below her neck.  Daring to open her eyes, she could see the slightest bit of a blue glow reflected in the viewport, apparently emanating from the hand on her chest.  “Clear your mind, Sam.  Let me help you relax,” came the whispered request.  Sam complied, closing her eyes, relaxing her mental guard, clearing her thoughts of all that had happened today and this evening.  “That’s good, Samantha,” came the husky whisper.  “Relax.  Be at peace.  Sleep.  There is nothing to fear, nothing to be concerned about.  Sleep.  No one will bother you.  S l e e p.”

* * *

–  **YEAR 2180** CE · AUGUST · CARTAGENA STATION, NEMEAN ABYSS –

_… of the three connected areas of this freight holding/forwarding warehouse, the one Sam and Griff found themselves in was the largest; fourteen meters wide by ten deep, with a clear–span height of ten meters.  It was temporarily home to thirty–three 3m long by 2m wide by 2.5m high standard containers each stacked three high.  Their recovery target was in one of fifteen smaller containers scattered between the outer kinetic barrier and the group of five ‘three-stacked’ standard containers on the far side from the office they had just vacated.  All but three were in plain view of that office; Griff would have to be her lookout while she located 002180-084224 and -084346.  The plan was for Sam to hack the customs security seal and lock on the first one they located; if the relic was not inside, she’d have to locate the other container, hack the seal and lock, find and grab the relic from among the rest of the items inside and reseal the container.  They had a limited amount of time, as workers would soon be arriving to begin moving containers out to make room for more coming in.  The alarm that had sent them out of the office had been silenced.  Sam sent a brief text to Buchanan.  “Any sign of Xiùlán?”_

_“I see her… well, her cloak, anyway.  She’s coming over the top of the two by six group on the left side.”_

_Traynor melted into the shadow of a stack as she sent a quick text to Xiùlán, telling her to stay on top.  She had seen a figure moving in the office, undoubtedly a C–Pat guard making his rounds.  The office lights had not come on, which meant the shadowy figure would be leaving shortly._

_While she waited for the guard to leave, she inspected each of the three containers out of sight of the office… as luck would have it, the second one was -084224._

_Upon a quick inspection, she was disappointed to discover the third container was not the one she was looking for.  Moving back to the second one, she hacked the customs seal and lock; activating a tiny spot of light at the end of her omni, she tilted the lid just a bit and inspected all ‘round the edge._ ’Found you!’  _she thought.  Disabling the alarm switch that would have activated a ‘screamer’, she carefully opened the hinged lid.  Peeking around the corner of the container stack, she inspected the office carefully.  Seeing no signs of movement, she looked up at the top of the container stack, and was rewarded with the view of a rippling shadow._

_Motioning for Xiùlán to join her, she returned her attention to the open box in front of her.  She searched though the contents for the asari artifact… no luck!  Dammit, now she needed to find the other container and search it for this effing relic.  Making sure all inside was as it had been, she set the lid in place, reconnected the alarm switch, then latched the lid.  She reenabled the electronic lock and carefully reset the customs seal as Xiùlán joined her._

_“Not here, huh?”_

_“Nope,” responded Sam.  “Have you seen Buchanan?  We separated when we left that office.”_

_“He went back into the first storage area… something about the batarians coming in that way and through this other office.  I’m beginning to get a bad feeling here… ”_

_“Dammit Xiùlán, every time you say that all ‘ell breaks loose,” Traynor responded through gritted teeth.  “Keep an eye on that office while I find the other container.”_

_Samantha moved out onto the floor in a crouch, inspecting numbers on each container.  Moving away from the office, she discovered -084346 sitting adjacent to the standard container stack furthest from the office.  Whispering to Xiùlán to stay put, she unsealed and opened this container as had been done on the previous one.  Staying low, she checked the items inside and… found the damned thing, in the middle of a shipment of synthetic down.  It had the correct manifest number, and appeared to be the correct size.  Rearranging the remaining contents of the container to disguise the ‘theft’ of the object, she reset the lid as she’d done with -084224, placed the artifact in her backpack and slid back into hiding as she whispered on the comm for Xiùlán to join her.  “Got it.  We need to move, now.  Griff!  Get down to this end.”_

_The pair had almost reached the office entrance when the lights inside came on, sending them each diving for the low wall on either side of the door.  Samantha used her omni tool to remotely hack the terminal on the other side of the wall; she quickly disabled the computer’s control of the ceiling lights in the warehouse and disconnected from the control panel; she looked at Yuán and motioned with her hands.  Anyone coming through the door would meet a swift, if untimely accident._

_The door hissed open, allowing two C–Pat guards access to the still darkened warehouse.  Each of the women stood as one, Xiùlán taking down the batarian on her side, Sam taking the one on hers.  Neither guard was going to get back up for a while.  Traynor attached a miniature generator to the collar of each guard; activating the mass effect field generators negated their weight.  The pair grabbed the belts of the unfortunate batarians and dragged them over to the closest 3-stack of containers.  Activating their own generators, they each grabbed a batarian and jumped straight up; as they cleared the edge of the top container, the nearly weightless batarians were unceremoniously tossed onto the container; the cloaked women then caught the container’s edge as they started back down.  Hoisting themselves up, they quickly dragged the unfortunate guards towards the center, retrieved the generators, relieved them of their hardware and applied a strip of shipping tape across their mouths and around their wrists and ankles._

_Running and jumping from stack to stack, the pair went back to the first warehouse.  They floated down in the aisle between the stacks, then made their way around the end back to the first office Traynor had originally come through.  Lights were on in here as well, but they could not see anyone through the windows.  “Remember,” Traynor said to Xiùlán, “batarians can see our heat signatures even with our cloaks engaged.”_

_Xiùlán took point, easing through the door in a crouch.  No one inside, but she did see a trail of blood drops leading back to the hall.  Motioning to Traynor, she pointed to the blood trail then out the door as she powered down her cloak.  “Looks as if Griff ran into trouble,” she observed._

_Bringing up the 3-D station map on her omni tool, Sam punched in Buchanan’s locator code.  The result was not encouraging.  Deleting his code and closing the tool, she whispered to Xiùlán, “He’s on level six, the C-Pat detention area.  Still alive, so not hurt too bad.”_

_“We have to get up there, Sam,” Xiùlán hissed back.  “We have got to get him away from the batarians before they kill him.”_

_“Them killing Griff is the least of our worries.  They’ll pump him full of Ratazan first; he’ll have no choice but to tell them about us.”  Traynor studied Xiùlán’s eyes before answering, “We will have to do this quickly and quietly.  Once they’re aware there are two more of us out here, we’ll have one ‘ell of a time getting to Griff… ”_

_“… and even more trouble getting out!” Xiùlán finished for her.  “Lā shǐ!_ [拉屎 - Shit!] _How do we proceed?  Going to be difficult for two human women to stay hidden on this station.  These features… ,” Yuán indicated her own face, “… are not commonly seen in the abyss.  I’d have an easier time blending in with your features, or Griff’s scar… or both.”_

_“Your features are just one of the things I love about you,” snarked Sam.  “There is a two-meter high utility tunnel between C-Pat and the level five comms center where I need to go.  That’s where we’ll wait.  I’ll help you grab Griff out from under them, then hack their QEC and call for pickup while you two go to ground between levels.  I’ll keep ‘em off you long enough for our lifeboat to arrive.”_

_“Sounds like the body count is going to be up there.”  Xiùlán was uneasy.  “Sure you’re up for this?”_

_Samantha grabbed Xiùlán’s hand, quickly brought it to her lips and kissed her knuckles.  “Let’s grab Buchanan so we can get the bloody ‘ell outta this shithole.”  She headed out the door and turned left._

_The hallway was 25 to 26 meters long, with inspection hatches on the left at regular intervals.  Reaching the end of the hall without encountering anyone or setting off any alarms, Traynor hacked the locked out lift controls, then pressed the ‘call’ control.  Nodding to Xiùlán, Sam powered on her cloak and positioned herself beside the door, back and left shoulder hard into the frame, with Yuán positioned and cloaked similarly on the other side._

_She heard the faint sound of the car floating down the shaft, sensed the displaced air seeping past the edges of the door segments.  As the car reached their level, Sam crouched, ready to leap.  The pair waited as door segments slid into their receptacles.  Two C-Pat guards sauntered out of the elevator.  Each was quickly on the deck as Yuán and Sam simultaneously pounced like a pair of panthers… one guard was looking straight behind him as he fell, the only sound a slight gurgling from his twisted windpipe.  The other one clutched at his shattered larynx for a moment before falling to a hammerfist strike that shattered his sternum and drove the pieces into his heart.  The women dragged the unfortunate batarians back into the elevator and closed the doors._

_“We need to find a trash ejector big enough for these two bodies, plus whatever else gets in our way,” Xiùlán whispered.  “Up in C-Pat, perhaps?”_

_Traynor powered up her omni tool and checked for ejectors.  “None where we need to be.  Have to stash ‘em somewhere along the way.  Can’t leave ‘em in here.  Look at this.  Level three has access to utilities.  Refrigeration?  Yes.  Stick the ME generators on them, Xiùlán.  Don’t want to have to drag their carcasses.  Leaves scuffs and tracks in the deck plating.  Better to float ‘em.”_

_With the ME generators powered up, they were able to stand their victims up in front of them.  Traynor had to turn the head back around on the one she had taken down, then hold his head from behind to keep it from flopping about.  Stopping at level three, they engaged cloaks and opened the doors.  There were several guards and civilians at the far end of the passageway; fortunately, none looked at the elevator as the two dead guards floated out the door and moved towards them.  Traynor hissed at Xiùlán, “Third door on the left.  Move.”_

_The pair made their way up the passageway as quickly as they could.  The access door to the compartment Traynor had chosen was locked.  “Xiùlán, hold his head.”  Using her previously occupied right hand, she quickly hacked the door lock.  One of the guards at the far end of the passage had finally noticed the odd looking pair of guards and called out to them as the access door slid into its recesses.  Traynor and Yuán hustled their burdens into the compartment and closed the door.  “Don’t lock it.  It’ll draw less suspicion,” Yuán said._

_They made their way deeper into the compartment, moving around piping and machinery until they came to a ductwork array of five pipes, each just under half a meter square, running horizontally through the room right below the overhead.  Xiùlán could feel the coolness through the insulation blanketing the pipes.  “Looks like these will work,” she said in a low voice.  They both heard the faint sound of the entry door opening.  Xiùlán sounded worried.  “Just hope those ducts are well supported.”_

_Making as little noise as possible, they helped each other stash the bodies across the top of the duct work, each about four meters from the other, then eased the mass effect fields down gradually on each body, worried that the sudden application of an additional 170 to 195 kilos on supports meant to support no more than 75 would pull the entire array from the overhead.  There was a bit of creaking as the load increased; to their immense relief, everything held.  Now, to attend to those that had entered behind them…_

* * *

*** NORMANDY • DECK THREE, LIARA T’SONI’S QUARTERS *  
* 0805, Morning After Liara’s Release from Med Bay ***

… Samantha stirred slightly as the dream faded, attempting to place her location.  She was in a comfortable bed, so it wasn’t hers.  There was someone… felt feminine… right against her back, legs tangled with her own and an arm over her waist.  A warm hand was holding her right breast through her sleep shirt.  Xiùlán!  This was exactly how she liked to share their bed together.  It had to be Xiùlán.  The compartment was still dark, preventing her from visually identifying her companion.  Sam gently lifted the stranger’s hand and arm up slightly; rolling over in place, she turned to face her sleeping companion, who stirred slightly and turned away from her just a bit.  Still too dark to make out any details.

Sam reached in and gently kissed her companion’s cheek; a small moan and a sigh rewarded her effort.  Sam brought her own hand up and… wait… Xiùlán was put together quite nicely, but Sam didn’t remember her being quite so… voluptuous.  She gently slid her hand upwards until she reached the unknown woman’s shoulder, then continued over that shoulder and around to the base of her neck, where she felt… _’oh, shit!  SHIT!  It’s Liara… it’s Liara and I am so busted!’_  she thought to herself.  _’I’m sharing Liara’s bed!  How could I forget so fast?’_

She had just begun to remove her exploratory hand when Liara quickly covered it by placing her own hand atop Sam’s.  “Samantha, you do realize you have your hand on a very sensitive part of my body.”  Liara’s voice was the same warm, husky whisper as before.  “I’ve already forgiven you for injuring me.  Still trying to get even closer?”

Samantha tried to hide her embarrassment… she kissed Liara on the cheek and said, “Forgive me, Liara.  I woke from a dream… you were snuggled up to my back, you had a hand on my breast.  I thought for a minute you were Yuán Xiùlán.  You were sleeping next to me the same as she used to… ” Sam tried to pull away, only to be stopped by Liara.  _’Damn, that’s a surprising amount of strength for a researcher… must have spent too much time groundside fighting Reaper spawn.’_

“You don’t get away that easily, Specialist,” Liara whispered in Sam’s ear, an unseen smile coloring her voice.  “Keep your hand right where it is and gently massage that area while you tell me all about… Yuán Xiùlán?  Was she a lover?” Liara freed Sam’s hand and arched her own back in pleasure as she brought both arms around the specialist’s body to gently embrace her.  Sam tenderly massaged the base of Liara’s crest as she told how she’d fallen in love with an Alliance black ops recruit from the Terran country of China, and how they’d nearly died on a mission to recover a stolen asari artifact in the Nemean Abyss…

* * *

*** ARCTURUS STREAM • L5 LAGRANGIAN POINT of THEMIS *  
* SSV Hong Kong II • DECK TWO, CIC ***

Staff Commander Yuán Xiùlán was carefully monitoring the ships, Alliance, turian and Reaper, that all seemed to be moving in different directions at different speeds, every damned one of them seemingly on a collision course with each other (bad enough) or with the _Hong Kong II_ (much worse!)  She had given the ship’s helmsman permission to make course changes as needed, and had the inertial dampeners set to 100% in an effort to keep people from being tossed about during severe maneuvering.  She felt like she was riding the old roller coaster at that park in… where in hell was it?‚ New York?  Coney Island?  Sam had insisted they ride it at least once, so she had.  She felt like she had left her stomach at the top of one too many steep descents.  A particularly hard turn combined with massive reverse thrust brought her back to the present.  “Helm… XO.  You trying to rip the ass off this thing?”

“No Ma’am.  Had to dodge a Reaper… big bastard, came out of nowhere.  You sure they ain’t the enemy anymore, XO?”

“Quite sure, Helm.  Come alongside it and match its speed… I have a feeling it wants our attention,” Xiùlán replied, then keyed the ship’s PA.  _”Captain to the CIC, please.”_ Her terminal came alive with a data stream as her ear-mounted comm link received a request from Esiz’Qür.  It wanted a meeting.

* * *

*** NORMANDY • DECK THREE, LIARA T’SONI’S QUARTERS *  
– 0925 –**

Liara and Sam had returned from a trip to the head after finishing a light breakfast together.  They even managed the incredible feat (to them) of encountering no one that wanted to stop and chat.  Liara shed her robe as soon as the hatch was closed and sealed.  Grabbing fresh clothes, she dressed in a leisurely manner behind the screened glass of her sleeping area, leaving Samantha the main section of the compartment.

Samantha took her time as well, so was only half done when Liara walked back out to join her.  The specialist’s above the waist nudity was difficult to ignore, given the number of small scars evident on her torso.  But most intriguing to the curious asari were the several tattoos on her back.  Liara had paid scant attention to Sam’s body when they last showered together, and could not remember if she had turned her bare back in Liara’s direction.  “Sam, I’m going to boot the information terminals while you finish dressing.  Would you like to locate Xiùlán?  It would good practice for you, and I really don’t think it will be that difficult to track her whereabouts.”

Traynor’s answer was a bit indistinct as she pulled her combo undershirt / bra over her head.  “I never tri… mmmphto… trace ‘er… mfffph… her to her current posting.”

Sam bent over at the waist as she deftly reached under the shirt to settle her breasts into the cups of her bra, then continued as she pulled the rest of her duty uniform on.  “She transferred to various ships as she received promotions in rank.”  Running her fingers through her hair in a somewhat futile imitation of a comb, she continued, “Last I heard, she’d made Lieutenant Commander… I expect she’s a Staff Commander these days.  After our last mission as a team… one that went totally sideways… she couldn’t do groundside stuff as well as before.  Don’t get me wrong, she would still be able to kick every marine’s ass on this ship, two or three at a time and probably never break a sweat, but it broke her heart to no longer be able to go with me.  She really enjoyed bashing batarian pirate scum… as did I.  Bet she’d love to meet Shepard.”

“I look forward to making her acquaintance myself, Specialist.  See what you can find.  I’ll work on my own projects… ” noting Sam’s sharp look, she smiled and rephrased to say, “… _look_  at my own projects… simply look.  If I need some help, I’ll ask you.”

Samantha began her quest by looking at transfers from the _SSV Tokyo_ , the first ship Xiùlán had been assigned to after program cancellation.

* * *

*** ARCTURUS STREAM • L5 LAGRANGIAN POINT of THEMIS *  
* SSV Hong Kong II • DECK TWO, C I C ***

William Cody exited the elevator slowly, wondering what had caused the _Hong Kong II_ to make such an abrupt attitude and speed change.  “XO?  Sitrep.”

Xiùlán turned to her right and said “Lieutenant Cross, you have the con.  Don’t bang up my ship.”  As she walked off the CIC platform she looked at Cody and said, “Please follow me, Sir.  We need to be in the war room.”

Cody chuckled.  “ _Your_ ship, Xiùlán?”

She looked at him and grinned.  “Yes Sir, my ship.  If I’m in charge of the con, it’s my ship.  Lieutenant Cross back there?  It’s now his ship, unless he wrecks it, at which point it will be my goddamned ship and I’m sure as hell going to want to know why he fucked it up!”

“It’d still be my ship, XO,” Cody replied.  “I’m at the top of the list of people responsible for her.”

“Which is why,” Xiùlán explained, as if to a school age child, “you placed responsibility for her care in my hands.  If I temporarily grant that responsibility to a third party, that party  _WILL_  answer to me if the sheet metal gets bent, ‘cause I’m going to have to explain to my captain why the damages are my fault, regardless of who’s driving.  Simple,” she concluded.

Cody laughed as they turned to enter the war room.  “Only simple in your convoluted world, XO.  Thanks for the explanation.  By the way, what happens if  _I_  wreck it?”

“You couldn’t do that, Sir.  You never get to take the con.”

Cody shook his head.  He knew he couldn’t possibly win this discussion.  As they both entered the War Room, the image of the Reaper Esiz’Qür gradually appeared in the center projector well.

 ** _Cody – Captain; Yuán Xiùlán – Staff Commander._** Volume of its speaking voice was at a tolerable level.  There were undertones of several voices, and even a musical quality was evident.  **_It is good to speak to you again.  This Repository has information for you.  First One, the Repository you know as Harbinger, will arrive in this system within six standard hours.  It is advisable to have all vessels maintain at least two hundred kilometers distance from the relay.  First One will be using the relay location as a key to entering this area.  As the relay is inoperative, the exact entry point in space/time will not be as accurate as warping to a functional relay; apologies are extended to all for this oversight.  This Repository will update you as First One draws closer.  Are there any inquiries?_**

“Harbinger is arriving a bit earlier than previously estimated,” Cody responded.  “Please explain.”

**_This Repository has no explanation.  If any explanation is forthcoming, it will need to be delivered by First One._ **

“Very well, Esiz’Qür.  Logging you out.”

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Sam’s mission on Cartagena Station continues from where it left off in chapter Twenty–one.  Harbinger is almost to Arcturus Stream, where the news of Commander Shepard’s and the Normandy’s fate will bring a great deal of hope and joy to a number of people.  I never dreamed when I started this story that I would be sharing twenty-five chapters with Mass Effect fans all over the world.  Please be aware that some of the letters in the Pinyin translations of the Mandarin spoken by Xiùlán have errors, due to the limitations of the font available for the text.  The letter that looks like a ‘1’ with a diacritical above _ _it in several of the Chinese words is actually a lower case ‘i’.  Sorry,_ _but Xiùlán (her given name –_ _Yuán is her family name)_ _is an important character to me, as is her heritage._ _She is prone to cursing in her native tongue, something I really love about her.  Thanks for your interest in this story.  There’s still more to come._


	24. James Vega’s Humility Lesson

_Don’t ever be afraid to show who you really are, because as long as you are happy with yourself, no one else’s opinion matters_  - Ziad K. Abdelnour

* * *

 ** _Tabi_** – traditional Japanese socks dating back to the 15th century, with a separation between the big toe and other toes; worn by both men and women with traditional thonged footwear.

* * *

 *** NORMANDY • DECK THREE, LIARA’S QUARTERS ***  
**\- 0500 -**

Samantha Traynor woke to an empty bed.  It had taken her a couple of nights to become used to sharing her bed with someone; fortunately, there had been no further occasions for her to apologize for mistaking Liara for Yuán Xiùlán.  After checking the ship’s clock on the bed-side table, Sam pushed herself up enough to see past the end of the bed.  The sliding doors were closed and the electro-chromatic glass was tinted as dark as she had ever seen it.  Beyond the glass wall the information terminals were all active, some scrolling information, some showing scenes that changed every few minutes.  She did not see Liara, so guessed she must either be in the shower or having an early (very early) breakfast.  The entry hatch had been locked to prevent entry by anyone except Liara or Samantha herself.  EDI _did_ have the ability to hack the lock, as did Commander Shepard; neither would do so unless both Sam and Liara were incapacitated.

Sam had restarted her exercise routine, rising at this early hour in order to have a section of hanger deck to herself.  She sat up, swung her legs over the edge and placed her feet on the floor; sitting relaxed, she took three deep breaths, exhaling each through her mouth.  Pulling on a pair of knee length exercise shorts, socks and training shoes, she traded her sleep shirt for a sports bra, then stretched several times by reaching both arms towards the overhead, followed by bending at the waist to wrap her hands around her ankles.

Grabbing her equipment bag, she headed for the women’s head, offering ‘good mornings’ to the few crew members she passed on the way to the passageway.  She ran into Liara, shower caddy in hand, who was just leaving.  Sam offered her a ‘good morning’ as she paused at the door.

“Are you coming straight back, or… ” noting the equipment bag Sam was carrying, “… going to the hanger deck?”  Liara inquired.  “Would you care for some company?”

“Sure thing.  I’m going to run a few laps to get warmed up, then do my exercises,” Sam replied.  “Pretty boring, actually, but come on down.  Having company helps the time slip by faster.  It’s always nice to have someone to chat with.”

Liara smiled and said, “I’ll get dressed and join you in a few minutes,” as Sam entered the head.

* * *

 *** DECK FIVE, ARMORY & HANGER ***  
**– 0515 · 0740 –**

Sam was in the middle of her second lap around the hanger as the elevator door opened; Liara exited and moved to stand beside the consoles for the armory and weapons bench.  “Three more laps to go,” Sam said as she passed the consoles.

Liara looked closely as Sam trotted back towards the forward end of the compartment, spotting the large red tattoo on her right shoulder; another medium sized tattoo could just be seen, down low, across the middle of her back, partially hidden by the waistband of her shorts.  _‘I simply must find out what those are’_ she thought.

“Good morning, Doctor T’Soni.”  Liara jumped, not realizing someone else had entered the hanger.  “What brings you down here so early?”

“Lieutenant Cortez… you startled me.  Good morning.  I came down to keep Samantha company.”

“I heard she was your new companion.  Seems a bit odd, after she clocked you in the face,” Steve replied as her watched the specialist turn at the far end and start back.

“Companion?”  Liara chuckled.  “I think you have been misinformed about our relationship, Lieutenant.  Sam is my assistant, a… shadow broker in training, if you will.”  She looked at the pilot and smiled.  “She’s staying in my quarters until Doctor Chakwas releases me to full duty.  I simply could not spend any more time in that abomination she proudly refers to as a ‘Med Bed’.  Sam offered to keep an eye on me until I’m released.  After that… ” she paused to watch Sam for a few moments, “… we’ll see how our relationship as teacher and student progresses.  I can certainly use her help.”

“You’re not upset with her?  I’m surprised you’re not looking for payback,” Steve replied, studying her face.  “I can still see the bruising around your eyes.  She really nailed you.”

“I have come to realize it’s my own fault… I didn’t back down when I could have easily done so.  Kind of hard to simply walk away when, as you humans so eloquently put it, I had my foot wedged firmly in my mouth.  I’m still a bit upset with her, but it’s in the past now.  She apologized, profusely.  Still manages to apologize daily.  She feels terrible about losing control like that.”  Liara smiled and waved as Samantha circled and headed forward again.  “Holding onto a grudge is a waste of energy, Lieutenant.  I’ve accepted her apologies.  Time for both of us to move forward.”

“Good for you, Ma’am.  Still not sure I could let things go that easily, but I’ve seen what she’s capable of, at least regarding the Prothean.”

“I share the feelings of a few other of the crew,” Liara responded.  “She is so much more than what appears on the surface, Steve.  She could just as easily have killed me.  Something stayed her hands.  Javik?  Same thing.  She’s not a born killer, but there is… I don’t know… she has buried something of her recent past.  I’ll get to the bottom of it in good time, Lieutenant.”

“None of us are born killers, Ma’am.  She had to sign a non-disclosure agreement with the Alliance,” Steve replied.  “It may not be possible to learn anything more about her.”

“I’m a very good information broker, Mr Cortez,” Liara said with a grin.  “We’ll see.”

Samantha came by the consoles and headed forward again.  _‘Nothing to do but wait.’_ Liara thought.  _‘Wonder what kind of exercises she does after trotting around the hanger five times.’_

Traynor had surprised Liara by performing what appeared to be just a series of slow dance moves.  “It’s Tai chi, which has many forms; _Nae gong_ is the form I currently practice.  It involves conscious movement designed to produce relaxation.”  Traynor paused, crossing her arms in front of herself as she brought them up and stretched towards the overhead.

With her arms up, she leaned forward, bending at the waist to wrap her hands around her ankles.  As she returned to an upright posture, she brought her hands up and crossed her forearms in front of her, taking another deep breath and exhaling through her mouth before continuing, “It helps me develop a high level of coordination and concentration.  I used to attend a class with Xiùlán before we shipped out of Singapore.  We still practiced together on whatever ship we were assigned.”

“Sounds like Xiùlán was a big part of your life before the Reapers, Sam.”

Samantha’s voice hitched slightly as she replied, “Most important part of my life, Liara.  We hid that from the Alliance.”  The sound of the elevator doors sliding into their recesses interrupted Sam, who returned to gathering up sweatshirt, towels and water container as she continued in a voice filled with longing, “My life belongs to her.  She’s still alive, and I’m going to find her.”

James and Gabby entered the compartment… Gabby to exercise, James to watch.  “‘Morning, guys,” Gabby said in a cheery tone.  “Care to join me, Sam?”

“We can stay and watch for a few minutes, Gabby, but I really… ” Sam was interrupted by James.

“… Aw, come on Specialist.  No harm in a little sparring, is there?”  James said with a grin.

“I don’t spar with others, Lieutenant.”  Traynor replied quietly.  “You saw what happened when I cut loose.  My mentor here will have a bruised face and a ‘tin grin’ for several more weeks because of me.”

James wouldn’t give up.  “Specialist, despite those marvelously sculpted abs and the awesome musculature of your arms and legs… ,” he paused, then continued as he very pointedly leered at her chest, “… not to mention your other assets, I don’t think you’d last a round with Engineer Daniels here.”

“Are you serious, Lieutenant?”  Gabby asked.  “Did you come down here just to get us to have a go ‘round with each other?”  She was incredulous.  “How about this, Lieutenant.  Let’s see you try to stay in the ring one round with the specialist.”

Traynor had been slowly backing towards the elevator when James said, “Wouldn’t be that hard, or fair… ” flexing his arms and shoulders, “… with all this going for me.”

Sam looked at the Lieutenant coldly.  “Lieutenant?  You really want to travel this path?  I thought we covered all this in the lounge over beers.  Having second thoughts now that you’ve sobered up?

“Just saying, Specialist.”  James continued to look admiringly at her body as he went on, “Despite the fact you appear to be extremely fit for a computer communications tech, I don’t think you’re all that tough.  Liara here?  Javik?  A synthetic?”  He waved his hand dismissively.

Sam’s expression changed to one of… steely determination, mixed with just a bit of defiance.  “My eyes,” using two fingers to point towards her face, “are up here, Mister.”

“That’s ‘Lieutenant’ to you, especialista.”

Sam thought, _‘He even makes that sound sleazy!’_  “Lieutenant Cortez!”  she said in a sharp voice.  “I am officially requesting that you take note of Mister Vega’s comments and actions since he entered this area, particularly as regards my fitness and shape as a woman, in his attempt to goad me into a fight.”

Cortez could see what was coming and did not want to get dragged into the middle.  “Ma’am, are you sure that’s… ”

Sam skewered Steve with her eyes.  “Lieutenant, I made a request under Alliance policy outlined in directives from the Department of Naval Operations.  Do not make me go over your head, or you will be tarred with the same brush I plan on using for your compadre here… or are you afraid of him like everyone else appears to be?”

“I resent your implication, Specialist,” Steve replied defensively.

“Then respectfully, do your goddamned duty, Sir.”

Steve looked at the increasingly pissed off specialist and hesitated.

Sam thought _‘Okay you bastards!  You are going into the shitter together!’_ as she said “Liara, would you mind having Major Alenko and Commander Shepard come down here.  I think Mister Vega is going to be charged with sexual harassment; that’s not something N7 candidates can get away with, is it?”  she asked, noting with satisfaction she had gotten under Vega’s skin with that little bon mot.  “And Mister Cortez apparently has no problem with being a party to Vega’s harassment,” she said as she looked at each of them in turn.

By this time, Gabby had moved to stand beside Samantha, more for moral support than anything.  Sam added as Liara was entering the elevator, “Also, please bring Glyph along to record all this.”

Less than twenty minutes later, Major Alenko and Commander Shepard were in the hanger, conferring privately with Cortez, Vega and Daniels.  Alenko was upset.  “This is not good, people.  Everything that happened from the time you two,” pointing to Gabby and James, “arrived in this hanger will go in your jacket,” he pointed at James, “and in yours,” pointing at Steve.

Shepard was absolutely beside herself.  “James, I have always cut you a lot of slack… ”

“… but Lola, if you would just… ” James tried to interrupt.

“… a _lot_ of slack, including allowing you to call me by a nickname!  But that was between me and you.  You seem to think people around you will just accept your juvenile behavior, including your constant misogynistic comments and obvious leering looks at women’s asses and tits.”

“Commander, I was trying… ”

“Stow it, Lieutenant!  You don’t even attempt to be surreptitious about it.  This is no laughing matter, goddammit!  This shit goes in your jacket, you are out of N7, and that, to me, is totally unacceptable!  Do you understand me, Mister?

James was used to being chewed out by superiors, but he’d never been on the receiving end of a chewing out by this commander.  He looked her straight in the eyes and said, “Understood, Ma’am.”

“I don’t believe you.  I think you truly _do not understand_ the amount of shit your boorish behavior has dropped you into, Lieutenant, and I cannot think of any way to make this quietly go away.”  Looking at Cortez, she added, “And I am extremely disappointed in your response to Sam’s request to report this.  People lose their goddamned jobs over this shit every day, Cortez.”

Gabby had remained silent during all this, but felt she needed to speak up.  “Ma’am, I don’t believe the Lieutenant here is any more blatant about off color remarks and looking at women’s bodies as objects than Kenn… that is, Engineer Donnelly.  I think I have a solution for your dilemma.  James thinks he can take Specialist Traynor in hand-to-hand.  I don’t believe he has the skill set.  In fact, I believe her to be a hundred times my superior, and I know he would not be able to take me.”  At the surprised look from Vega, she added, “Just a fact of life, Sir.”

Alenko asked Gabby to continue.  “Have James here try to take down the specialist.  Let them have a go at each other.  I doubt she’d kill him, at least, on purpose.  I think she’d rather just teach him a lesson.”

“James?”  Shepard and Alenko both looked at the Lieutenant.

“I do this, no bad marks in my jacket?  What about Esteb… er, Mr Cortez?”

“He’ll be clear as well, as long as the Specialist agrees to our terms.  Since she’s the aggrieved party here, there’s nothing in it for her… ” Shepard was interrupted by Gabby whispering in Alenko’s ear… 

“… except the satisfaction of teaching his smug-ass self a lesson,” he finished.

“Ask her to join us, Engineer,” Shepard said.

Alenko and Shepard conferred with Traynor, out of earshot of James, Steve and Gabby.  After listening to everything they had discussed with James and Steve, they asked Sam how she wished to proceed.

“I believe the Lieutenant needs a good old fashioned dose of humility.”  Then to Alenko, “Okay Major, what the ‘ell happened to my gloves?”

Garrus, Tali’Zorah, Joker, and EDI had joined Alenko and Shepard in the hanger; since the assumption was that Traynor might need to be carried out on a stretcher, Doctor Chakwas had also agreed to watch.  Alenko had even allowed Westmoreland and Campbell in to watch after locking down the passageway to the war room.  Liara had the info drone recording everything that was going on, including whispered conversations.

A rough ring had been laid out on the deck in chalk, and Lieutenant Greg Adams had agreed to referee.  Traynor had replaced her socks and leather exercise shoes with a pair of armored tabi… these had thin composition soles bonded to the material, allowing her free use of her feet.

Gabby helped her put on her powder dusted sparring gloves (same ones used on Javik and Liara) after Adams inspected them and declared them free of any contraband.

James simply removed his tee-shirt, displaying the chiseled mountain of sinew and muscles he believed was all the equipment needed to cut the specialist down a peg or two.  Of special interest to Traynor was the N7 tattoo on his back.  He was so confident in his upcoming victory, he didn’t even tape his hands, preferring to use bare knuckles.  Greg offered a sparring mask to each of them; both refused.

Adams briefed the pair on the rules; specifically, there were none.  First person knocked down that could not continue would be the loser.  Before moving to his corner, Vega told Sam in a low voice, “No trimestre, Traynor.  I intend to mess up your face, just to prove that it’s possible.”  He ended in a vicious tone.  “Sexual harassment charges against me ain’t gonna be a problem once you’re in the med bay with your lying mouth wired shut.”

Sam’s expression changed yet again…  the steely determination from before replaced by one of intense anger.  “You’ll have to hit me first,” she snarled as she went to her ‘corner’ to stand with Gabby, her ‘second’.  James backed into his corner to stand with Cortez.  Ignoring the hovering info drone, he growled, “I’m gonna mess her up, Esteban.”

“You goddamned stupid son of a bitch!”  Cortez growled in a low voice.  “You dragged me into this shit with your stupid machismo.  You should be busted back to private.  I thought you didn’t want to tangle with her.  You’ll be fortunate if she doesn’t put you in the Med Bay for six weeks, or longer.  Why are you going after her?  I heard you tell her ‘no quarter’.  Think she’ll extend any mercy to you?  Personally, I hope she kills you.”

James replied, “I’m gonna make sure this sexual harassment bullshit goes away, plus I want to see her take on someone prepared to kick her ass.  She punched out Liara and EDI… neither of them were ready for that kind of assault.  I don’t particularly care for ‘buggy’, but he was totally unprepared as well.  I just don’t think she’ll be able to beat someone that’s ready for her.”

“So, what are you going to say when she hands your ass to you?”  Cortez wanted to know.

James cocky expression and attitude had returned.  “She has to do it first.”

Adams had procured an old-fashioned whistle from somewhere; he stood between the pair, looked at both of them in turn, then held up a hand and dropped it as he blew his whistle.

James came out in a rush, ready to prove he wasn’t going to be bested by a mere comm specialist, _and_ a woman at that.  For her part, Samantha came out in a partial crouch, knees bent, arms up in a defensive stance as she circled around her larger opponent.

James approached her and threw the first punch, straight from his right shoulder, aimed squarely at Sam’s face, immediately followed by one from the left, an uppercut.  Both missed.  Sam simply ducked under his right and leaned back from the left, never moving more than absolutely necessary in order to avoid being hit.

This continued for just under a minute… James throwing punches, Sam either ducking or dodging them.  By now, James was sweating and breathing a bit harder from his exertions; Samantha was still calmly circling as she continued to wait for just the right moment to strike.  Finally, James had had enough.  Shouting a curse, he rushed at Sam, intending to grapple with her and maybe crush her in his arms.  She responded by leaping straight up in the air, arms gracefully positioned straight out to either side, hands partially folded towards her wrists with forefingers and thumbs extended, lower legs drawn up underneath in the form of a crane taking flight.  When her hips came level with Vega’s head, she lashed out, striking him square in the chest with the sole of her right foot; the impact staggered him, halting his forward momentum and sending him back two steps as she landed and rolled past him, returning to her crouch.

Supporting herself on her hands, she swept her legs out, kicking both his legs behind the knees.  Still attempting to catch his breath after getting the wind partially knocked out of him, he collapsed to his knees, placing a hand on the deck to avoid falling down completely.  As he struggled to regain his feet, she lashed out again with toes pointed, lifting her right leg up as hard as she could.  The top of her foot connected solidly with his gonads, causing him to holler and double over in pain, his free hand cradling his injured organs.

Sam jumped again, this time flipping over his head while executing a half-twist so she was facing Vega as she lightly landed in front of him.  Grabbing his shoulders with both hands, she pulled him back upright.  He brought up a hand in a futile attempt to grab an arm.  “Go to ‘ell you miserable bastard,” she hissed through gritted teeth.  With that, she threw her triple snap punch combination at his nose, chin and mouth; the knuckles of her gloved fists lightly touching their intended marks, leaving a dusting of powder with each tap.  Leaping again, Traynor flipped back over his head, kicking him right in the middle of his prized N7 tattoo as she was coming down; this caused him to roll forward on his knees and collapse to the deck.

James was attempting to get back up as Adams blew his whistle and moved to stand beside Traynor.  “The winner, by a technical knockout,” he paused to grab and raise her left hand over her head, “Specialist Samantha Traynor.”  There was still 80 seconds left in the round.

There was an instant cacophony of verbal protests of Adams decision, all centered on how Vega was down but not totally out.

Sam’s triple had just been seen by everyone in the hanger, with none having a closer view than James; they were all unsure of what they had just witnessed, but the powder marks on Vega’s face left no doubt Traynor had tagged him in a convincing manner; James knew better than anyone else he would most certainly be down, possibly even dead, if she had allowed her punches to land full force.

Cortez went to assist Vega to his feet.  “Dammit James, I tried to warn you!”  then to the specialist, “Traynor, you didn’t connect… why not?  I figured you’d kill him with that combo.”

Sam shrugged her shoulders as an awestruck Gabby began helping to remove her gloves.  “Would you rather I _had_ killed him?  It would have been easier for me,” Traynor said in a somber voice.  “I chose not to… if I’m going down for murder, it sure as ‘ell won’t be for the likes of _him_.  Or did I simply imagine him telling me _‘No trimester?’_ ” Sam paused, noticing the stares from Alenko and Shepard at this revelation.  “Glyph, play back the audio from one minute before the starting whistle, please.  Conversations only.”

Glyph bobbed and spun over the center of the ‘ring’ as it played back the audio from just before the start: _‘No trimestre, Traynor.  I intend to mess up your face… Charges against me ain’t gonna be a problem… with your lying mouth wired shut… I’m gonna make sure this… bullshit goes away… I want to see her take on someone prepared to kick her ass.  She punched out Liara and EDI… neither of them were ready… I just don’t think she’ll be able to beat someone that’s ready for her’… ‘What are you going to say when she hands your ass to you?’… ‘She has to do it first.’_

Traynor held up a hand and said, “Enough, Glyph.  Thanks.”  To Cortez, she finished with, “I don’t give a damn about his pride, Lieutenant, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to be the one leaving ‘ere on a stretcher.  If it’s any comfort, I _really_ pulled those punches.  He didn’t get any of what I gave Javik,” she said, then looked at the asari and added in a guilty voice, “or Liara.”

Gabby, hands shaking, finished removing Sam’s gloves as she studied her intently.  “Samantha, there is no way I would ever, _ever_ get in a ring with you,” she said.  “I’ve never seen anything like that.  It all appeared to happen in slow motion, except that triple combination!  That’s what you hit Javik with?”  She handed Sam’s gloves to her.  “How did you ever learn to do that?  I’ve been kick boxing since before I joined the Alliance Navy, and I could never hope to attain a skill level equal to yours.”  She gave Sam a big hug.  “You are simply amazing!”

Sam hugged her back and smiled as she said, “There’s no need for us to ever go toe-to-toe, Gabby.  Neither of us has anything to prove, to each other or this crew.”

Alenko and Shepard continued to talk quietly to each other as Tali stood by, discussing what they’d just witnessed… a small fraction of the incredible hand-to-hand skills possessed by the specialist.  They were still having a difficult time processing the information.  Garrus just shook his head at the trio, saying in a low voice, “I tried to tell you… ;” Joker was hiding behind EDI.  Steve Cortez, despite having toasted the female crew on the Normandy, despite viewing the video of Javik’s take-down, despite having just witnessed James Vega’s humiliating defeat, was in total denial that this shy, socially awkward young woman, a mere R&D communications specialist, was in fact a supremely talented and skilled fighter and quite probably a trained killer.

Liara grabbed Sam’s arm.  “Come with me, Specialist.  You need a shower and change of clothes.  We’ll leave Doctor Chakwas and the crew to tend to the Lieutenant.”  Looking around, she spotted the info drone.  “Glyph.  Back to my quarters.  Download your footage, please.”

“Right away, Doctor T’Soni.”

* * *

 *** DECK THREE • CREW QUARTERS and SHOWERS ***  
**\- 0805 -**

The sections comprising the elevator door on deck three had barely started retracting before Glyph left the car, headed for Liara’s quarters.  Liara accompanied Sam to the women’s head, where she waited as Sam shed her clothes; these she exchanged for her wash cloth, towels, body wash and shampoo.  “I’ll go find your clean underclothes and duty uniform, Sam.  Should only be a few minutes.”

“Thanks Liara.”  Sam hesitated.  “Do you think I was too hard on James… on Cortez?”

“I think you had every right to be angry with both of them, James in particular.  Only the commander would allow him to get away with acting like that, and I bet he was aware of just how far he could push her…  I mean, ‘Lola’?  Really?  But everyone is different, Sam.  You’re different, and not just because you’re not interested in males.  So no, I think he got just what he deserved.  And they both should be demoted in rank.”

“Thanks, Liara.”  As Sam turned towards the shower, Liara placed a hand on her right shoulder.  “Samantha, this tattoo… can you tell me about it?  It’s a beautiful design.  Looks as if it’s jeweled metal on your skin’s surface instead of ink under your skin.”

Sam looked over her shoulder at Liara’s hand as she reached around to lightly trace the design with a finger, as if she had done so many times.  “It’s a stylized dragon in red… a mirror twin to one on the left side of Xiùlán’s back.  Let me get done in here so we can have breakfast.  I’ll tell you all about it.”

“Fair enough,” Liara responded as the barrier energized.  “Be back in ten.”

* * *

 *** DECK THREE • CREW’S MESS ***  
**\- 0845 -**

Sam was sipping tea as she watched the medbay from her vantage point at the rearmost table.  James was sitting on the edge of the bed closest to Doctor Chakwas’ desk.  It appeared she was attempting to wipe the powder marks from his face, and not succeeding very well, if his disgruntled expression after each new inspection in a hand mirror was any indication.  Sam knew how to remove them, but would only offer if James apologized for his boorish behavior.  She looked up as Liara joined her with trays of hot food for both of them.

“So, about the red dragon,” she said as she sat beside her and started to eat.

“You don’t waste any time getting to the point, do you?”  Sam took several bites of jam covered toast and swallowed before continuing, “After Xiùlán nearly died on the mission I spoke of, she was in hospital for about twelve weeks…  rehab for another twenty,” Sam said, taking another forkful of food.  “She’d remember the number of days, down to the exact number of hours, I expect.  I spent as much time with her as my own assignments permitted.  She couldn’t do ground missions with me after being wounded so severely, even after all the rehab to get her walking normally again.”

Samantha took several more bites, then sipped her tea with a far off look in her eyes.  “She can still kick ass, of course, but I’m glad she doesn’t have to be a ground pounder anymore.  Getting shot changed her, hardened her.  Her injuries hardened me as well.”

“How was she wounded?”  Liara prompted.

“Batarian shot her in the left thigh, point blank hammerhead round with polonium.  Shattered her femur.  Poison made her sick.  It was all I could do to keep her alive and get our asses rescued.”  Sam took a few more bites of food before returning to her tea.  “The way James looked at me this morning?  Son of a bitch that shot Xiùlán looked at me exactly the same way.  I had him strung up in the interrogation room from which Xiùlán and I had just rescued Buchanan, third member of our team.  Totally helpless.  I’d gouged out his upper eyes when I slammed his head to the deck after he shot Xiùlán, and he still had the… balls… to suggest I allow him to rest for a few minutes so he could fuck me.”  Sam’s eyes became distant as she relived those moments in her mind.

“Sounds dreadful, Samantha.  It’s as if the males of every species in the galaxy believe that females of whatever species exist for their sexual pleasure.  I cannot even _begin_ to imagine how difficult that must have been for you… and Xiùlán.”

Sam’s eyes flicked to the Med Bay door as it opened.  James came out, looking as if his entire world had been destroyed, his face still showing powder residue where Sam had tagged him.  He looked around for a couple of seconds before seeing Samantha.  His face hardened for a second, then relaxed as he appeared to make a decision.  He started walking towards their table.  “Excuse me, Liara.  I need to talk to Mr Vega.”

James walked up to the table and pointedly ignored Sam as he politely asked Liara, “Mind if I join you, Ma’am?”

Liara glanced at Sam as she answered James.  “Have a seat, Lieutenant.”

James took the chair at the end and looked at Sam as she set her mug down.  He looked down at the table, idly tracing a pattern in a bit of spilled water before looking back up at her face.  “Specialist, I owe you an apology.  I really don’t know what came over me.  I was just, I don’t know, trying… ”

Sam brought her hand up to stop him and said quietly, “James, there’s a very good reason I don’t spar with other people, as you must now be aware.  You have not been trained to take me on… no one on this ship can take me on without biotics or weapons at a distance or both.  You don’t realize how close you were to dying by my hands, and it scares the living ‘ell out of me that you would willingly throw your life away in a such a misguided attempt to teach me, or anyone else for that matter, a ‘lesson’.”  She continued to look straight at him, which was making him uncomfortable, as direct eye contact with any woman always did.

“I was backing away,” she continued quietly, “heading for the elevator when you apparently allowed your brain to become disengaged from your mouth.  I’ve never heard of you showing such disrespect for Gabby, or Tali, or even Campbell or Westmoreland.  We’re all women.  I don’t see any difference between us except…  ”  she paused for several seconds, then continued, “… this was all because I’m a lesbian, wasn’t it?  I’m not interested in men, don’t have sex with men, so I must be some kind of threat to your what, your manhood?  Worthy only of your contempt?”

“It’s not like that, Traynor, not at all!”

“Then what, James?  You do realize Steve Cortez is gay.  Does he pose a threat to you as well?  Do you treat _him_ any different than, say, Lieutenant Adams?  Flight Lieutenant Moreau?”

James was getting red in the face as he again dropped his gaze to the table, struggling to defend himself against her accusations.  “Dammit Traynor.  I’m trying to apologize here, and you’re making things awkward.”

“Look at me, James,” she replied, still speaking in a calm, quiet voice.  Once she had his full attention again, she continued, “It is not my intention to make things awkward for you, or anyone else on this ship, but you really need to look at this from my point of view.  I do my job on the Normandy, and I don’t get in other people’s faces about their personal beliefs… their private lives.  I am happy with who I am.  I like me.  My parents… ” here her voice hitched slightly, “… loved me.  I am loved by other people.  My sexual orientation is my own business.  I don’t feel I need to justify my personal life to those around me, particularly Alliance officers.  You _are_ an officer, Mr Vega, are you not?”

“Yes, I am.  I am sorry for my actions this morning, Specialist.  I really don’t care about your sexual preferences, and I apologize for making you feel uncomfortable.  Won’t happen again.”  James started to rise from his chair when he was stopped by Samantha’s hand on his wrist.

“Take this.”  She handed him her mug with the rest of her tea.  “I believe the tannin content should be enough to eliminate the powder from your face.  Pour some on a clean cloth and wipe… don’t scrub.  Text me if you require more.  I’ll come see you later in the port side lounge.”

Vega looked at the mug suspiciously.  “Nothing Doctor Chakwas tried worked, not even alcohol.”

“She didn’t try tea, did she?”  James looked at her thoughtfully, then shrugged his shoulders and left with the mug.  Sam turned to Liara after James left.  “Now, back to the red dragon.”

Liara had almost forgotten their conversation.  “Samantha, that… ” indicating the departing Lieutenant, “… was incredibly forgiving of you.”

“Well, I have you as my mentor now, don’t I?  Wouldn’t be a good student if I didn’t learn from you.  Besides, I have to see Alenko and Shepard in a few hours.  I think they were a bit upset about the things he said to me and Cortez before I took him down.”

“Thank you.  And I hope you don’t have to witness Vega receiving a demotion.  It’d be a real blow to his pride.  Now, you said your mission took place in the… ”

“… Nemean Abyss.  Worst outlaw sector in the galaxy, although I expect the balance of power will shift now the batarians have been virtually eliminated by the Reapers.”  She finished the few bits on her plate and continued, “Xiùlán and I decided to get matching tattoos after her rehab, a visual way to celebrate our love for each other.  I chose this dragon… ”, using a thumb to indicate her shoulder, “… because I liked the design.  It’s just a series of jagged-edged shapes, yet the eye sees it as a dragon. Mine on my right shoulder in red; hers mirror-imaged on her left shoulder in greens and gold.  The symbology is pretty straight forward… we are both ‘hidden dragons’.  An ancient poet named Yu Xin wrote about a hidden dragon, which has been literally translated to mean ‘talented or extraordinary people hidden from view’.  Xiùlán and I are extraordinarily talented and were always, _always_ , hidden from view by the Alliance.”

Sam got up, stretched and grabbed their trays.  “Let’s go back to your quarters.  We can talk some more, if you wish.”

* * *

 *** DECK TWO • CONFERENCE ROOM ***  
**\- 1200 -**

Major Alenko and Commander Shepard’s projected image were talking quietly as Samantha Traynor entered.  “You needed to speak with me, Commander?”

“Traynor, thanks for attending.  Take a seat.  We have just a few questions for you,” Shepard responded.

Alenko continued, “Samantha, we want you to know we are both more than a bit disturbed by Lieutenant Vega’s comments to you and to Lieutenant Cortez before you… taught him… a lesson in humility, as you say.  We are considering rewarding him with a demotion in rank for his unprofessional behavior.”

Samantha looked at each of them, obviously distressed at this development.  “Ma’am, Sir, if you are asking for my opinion… ”

“… we are not, but talk to us anyway, Sam.  We’re listening,” Shepard replied.

“Respectfully, I am formally requesting that you both drop the matter, please.  Lieutenant Vega has apologized to me… ” she held up a hand to head off the protest she could see forming on their lips, “… for his boorish behavior.  This was witnessed by Dr  T’Soni, with whom I was having breakfast.  Mr Vega seemed to think, if that is an accurate description for what he does with his brain, that I was somehow not worthy of his respect because I am attracted to other women.”

“That’s enough reason for him to be demoted in rank right there, Specialist,” Shepard responded.  “Alliance regs are quite clear… ”

“… and yet the regs are ignored by many people,” Samantha finished for her.  “Please let it go, Ma’am.  I’m used to the snide remarks, sidelong looks, the whole gamut.  It’s just that this morning, James looked at me in exactly the same manner as a batarian pirate I’d captured, back before Alliance R&D.  I had him strung up like pork in a shop and he still managed to give me ‘the look’, like I was simply meat to be used for his enjoyment.  Perhaps I should just paint an eye over each of my boobs,” she said as she looked down at her chest.  “At least they’d have a valid excuse for not looking me in the face.”

Alenko looked uncomfortable.  Shepard looked at Samantha, a touch of amazement evident in her expression.  She chuckled as she replied, “That’s a fascinating idea, Samantha.  I should have done that myself, years ago.  James is not the only male I’ve caught looking, just the most obvious.”  Turning serious again, she looked at Alenko, then back to Sam.  “Okay Specialist.  We’ll play it your way on this one.”

“And I’m thankful you didn’t kill him.  In addition to the fact I really don’t want to see you in lock down again, the paperwork would be a real nightmare!”

Alenko agreed.  “Thanks Samantha.  We’ll talk later.”

* * *

 *** DECK THREE, LIARA’S QUARTERS ***  
**\- 1205 -**

Glyph had transferred the raw video from the sparring match into a stand-alone terminal, then edited the recording to show only the footage from just before Adams had blown his whistle at the beginning of the match until he had declared Sam the winner with a TKO.  The video trimmed from before and after was stored on Dr  T’Soni’s personal terminal for her review; a copy was also stored on the terminal assigned to Specialist Traynor.  After adding a snappy soundtrack to the trimmed footage, it had played the video for Doctor T’Soni while Traynor was visiting Shepard and Alenko.

Glyph’s viewpoint during the video was continuously changing as it hovered and circled the outline of the ring; it had been recording from Vega’s left side when Sam had unleashed her triple combo.  As good as Glyph was at recording ‘faster-than-the-eye events’, slowing down the video to watch frame-by-frame revealed no more detail than had Žiuk’Durmah’s recording of Sam’s encounter with Javik.  Samantha simply moved her hands and arms too fast for clear observation.

Liara shook her head as the recording ended and she removed and stored the OSD.  Just another aspect of Traynor’s background she needed to investigate.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** There’s a tribute to Trinity from the first several minutes of  _ The Matrix _in Traynor’s match with Vega.  I didn’t see this chapter coming, I really didn’t.  I jot down ideas and scenarios for later use.  Got a lot of stuff written, just need to string it together in a cohesive manner.  I was going to have Traynor pay a clandestine visit to James in the medbay at night, wake him up enough so he was aware it was her, then have her kill him with her bare hands.  Couldn’t do it.  Sam’s not a murderer.  James is a stupid inbred sack of meat, but it comes naturally.  Reviews and follows are great.  I always try to PM reviewers.  Thanks for reading!_


	25. Welcome News for Admiral Hackett

_I demolish my bridges behind me...then there is no choice but to move forward_ \- Fridtjof Nansen

* * *

 *** ARCTURUS STREAM • L5 LAGRANGIAN POINT of THEMIS ***  
*** SSV HONG KONG II • DECK THREE, XO QUARTERS ***  
**\- 2245 -**

Staff Commander Yuán Xiùlán, off-duty since 2210, had just returned from taking her evening shower.  A good many of the female crew members preferred bathing in the morning, but Xiùlán seemed to sleep better after she’d washed the day’s accumulation of sweat and stress down the drain; she also preferred to bathe alone.  Removing her full-length silk robe, she inspected her nude body in the deck-to-overhead mirror just inside her sleeping compartment.  After spending so many weeks in hospital and rehab, Xiùlán was neither shy or embarrassed about her body.  It just seemed the appearance of her reconstructed left thigh always became the center of attention for anyone sharing the compartment; even crew members that had seen her nude many times appeared unable to avert their attention from the massive number of scars on her leg and butt.

After studying her leg for a few moments, she had to admit to herself the scars were not as noticeable as when she’d first left hospital for rehab.  These days, truth be known, her multiple tattoos, accumulated during rehab and afterwards, seemed to attract the most attention.  The small Chinese characters between her breasts and just over her pubic bone always seemed to be fair game as unwanted conversation starters.  The ink in those locations was there for very personal reasons, and she had never learned how to deflect the questions from those bold enough to verbalize their curiosity.

She sighed as she slipped into a knee length silk night shirt and crawled into her bed.  Samantha Traynor knew the meaning of each character; each of them had one of two complementary Chinese phrases.  Sam's were in a horizontal line low on her back, just below her waistline.  Xiùlán believed in her heart that one day she'd be able to place her nude body against Sammy's back once again, joining the characters together to form both phrases.  _‘Sam, I know you’re still out there somewhere,’_ Xiùlán thought to herself.  _‘You would not have left me alone here, not after all we’ve been through together.’_ As Xiùlán drifted off, her mind wandered unbidden to that time in the abyss…

* * *

 *** SSV NORMANDY • DECK THREE, PORT SIDE CREW LOUNGE ***  
**– NEXT DAY, 1325 –**

Samantha Traynor poked her head through the door and looked around.  Spotting Garrus and Tali, she said, “I’m looking for Mr Vega.  Know where he is?”

Garrus looked at her and thought, _‘Why, so you can kick his ass again?’_ as he replied, “I expect he’s still in the crew’s mess area eating a late lunch.”

“Thanks, Garrus.”  She started to leave, but couldn’t resist turning back towards the turian and offering an observation.

“You know, your mandibles twitch when you’re thinking shit you’re not going to say, like, oh, I don’t know, ‘so you can kick his ass again?’ comes to mind.”  She smiled and winked, then turned and left before Garrus could respond or regain control of his lower jaw to close it.

“How the hell did she know what I was thinking?”  he asked Tali.

“I don’t know, Garrus.  She is one scary woman,” Tali responded.  “Earth history is full of references to ‘women’s intuition’… maybe that’s how she knew what was on your mind without you saying it.  I’m beginning to think having her work with Liara T’Soni may _not_ be a good thing.  Maybe because she’s human?”

“You know, I’m beginning to think the Systems Alliance trained her a little too well.”

* * *

*** DECK THREE • CREW’S MESS ***

Sam walked around the starboard side of the elevator supports into the mess area; she found James sitting in the same chair she herself had occupied at breakfast yesterday.  Taking the chair at the end, she quickly sat before he could object.  “So, looks as if the tea worked,” she observed.

James looked at her glumly.  “Yep.  Did the trick.  Thanks.”

“Something on your mind, Lieutenant?”

James thought for a few moments, then pointed his fork at her and answered with the obvious, “I had my ass kicked by a girl.”

“Which girl, Lieutenant?  I seem to recall you having a ‘dance’ with, what did you call her… Lola?... right after we left the Sol system for the Citadel.”  She added, almost to herself, “Damn, now that I’ve said that out loud, seems like forever since that day!”

She continued with, “Anyway, are you referring to Commander Shepard, or me?  I haven’t been called a girl since before college… in a strange, perverse kind of way, that’s kind of flattering.”

“You’re making fun of me, Specialist, and I can’t do anything physically to stop you.  Please go away.  It’s been a rough two days,” James said.

“I most certainly am not making fun of you, Lieutenant.  If it’ll make you feel better, I _do_ apologize for hurting your pride yesterday morning, but what did you expect?  I have feelings, too.  You were looking at me like I was just a side of meat, ready for the taking.  Is that how all women appear to you, Lieutenant?”  Sam continued, “You expected your brawn would be all you needed to teach me a lesson, and I didn’t allow you to do so.  I was trained as a covert agent, James.  I’ve killed batarians, vorcha, humans, a few turians and one or two krogan, all with my bare hands.  You’re damn near as big as a krogan, and a hellova lot faster.”

“That supposed to make me feel better?  Not working, Specialist.”  James finished his lunch and started to get up.

“Don’t feel bad, Lieutenant.  You still have your life.  No one on this ship is laughing at you.  Shepard and Alenko were going to demote you, did you know that?”

James sat back down.  “I did.  Question is, how did _you_?”

“I talked to them noon yesterday,” Traynor answered quietly.  “They were discussing your attitude and your future... talking about demoting you.  They didn’t want my opinion, but I gave it to them anyway.  I asked them to please not demote you.  I don’t want to see you lose that chance to make N7, James…  Neither does Commander Shepard.  I think you’ll do super in N7.”  Samantha paused for a few moments, choosing her words carefully.  “You are not a stupid person James, but you absolutely have got to lose your juvenile attitude regarding women before you go into N7 training.  The instructors won’t put up with the ‘wink and a nudge’ attitude you have.  A lot of the instructors in that program _are_ women, not unlike Commander Shepard.”

James scrubbed his face with his hands as he thought about Traynor’s words.  “I didn’t realize you talked to Alenko and Shepard… they didn’t tell me.  All they said was they were going to honor the agreement we discussed yesterday morning in the hanger.”

“I’m not upset with you, Lieutenant.  Everything that happened in the hanger yesterday is water under the bridge.  All we can do is move forward from here.”  Samantha placed her hand on Vega’s arm.  “I don’t want to see you fail.”

James looked at Samantha’s hand, then her face.  “Thanks Samantha.  I appreciate you talking to the commander on my behalf.  I know I’m my own worst enemy at times… hell, most of the time.  And hey, thanks for the tip about using tea to remove the powder left by your gloves.  Worked like a charm.”

“I’m glad,” Traynor said as she got up to leave.  “Better than waiting for it to wear off, right?  We’ll talk later.”

* * *

*** DECK THREE • LIARA’S QUARTERS *  
\- 1738 -**

Žiuk’Durmah had information for THE SHEPARD.  It sent a coded text to the omni tool belonging to Traynor-Specialist:  ‘TO: TRAYNORSPECIALIST; FROM: ŽIUK’DURMAH; SUBJECT: MESSAGE FOR SHEPARDNORMANDY; **› FIRST ONE/HARBINGER HAS ARRIVED IN ARCTURUS STREAM TO SPEAK WITH HACKETT-FLEET ADMIRAL; THIS REPOSITORY CAN FACILITATE ZERO TIME LAG COMMUNICATIONS WITH HACKETT-FLEET ADMIRAL, USING NORMANDY-FRIGATE MODIFIED QEC IN TANDEM WITH COMMUNICATION ARRAY OF THIS REPOSITORY; IT WILL BE POSSIBLE FOR SHEPARD-NORMANDY TO BE SEEN BY/TALK TO HACKETT-FLEET ADMIRAL; COMMUNICATIONS TO COMMENCE AT 1930 ‹** END MESSAGE.

Sam checked the time readout on the closest chronometer…1740.  Not much time.  “Liara, I have to inform the major and the commander of what’s coming, then I need to change into my blues.”

Liara looked up from her terminal.  “Harbinger?” she asked.

“Afraid so.  Alenko will need me to perform a continuous phase-shift correction in the QEC, same as last time.  Harbinger is even further away now… in Arcturus Stream.  I’ll see you later.”

“Okay.  Perhaps I’ll go to dinner, then see Doctor Chakwas… try to obtain an official discharge so I can really get back to work.”

“Sounds good.  I will be ‘conveniently unavailable’ to confirm with an honest expression that you’ve just been sitting around these past couple of days,” came the snarky reply.

“Sam,” Liara pouted.  “You know I have been doing nothing more than reading data feeds.  That’s not work.”

“…said the asari information broker with…” at this point Sam stepped behind Liara’s chair and began massaging her shoulders and neck, being especially diligent about digging her thumbs into the soft tissue on either side of her spine, “…muscles all knotted up from tension.”

Liara groaned from the combination of pain and pleasure Sam was creating with those talented hands and fingers.  “By the Goddess!  I don’t know and… mmmpppffffhh… I don’t… eeeaaahhhh… care where you learned to inflict this… ouch! Damn!  aaahhh… sort of pleasurable pain, but you are… mmmppfahhh… g o d d e s s s s ... very good!” 

Sam finished with a flourish that elicited a final ‘ooohhh-ouch!’.  “Glad I’m appreciated, Ma’am,” Sam said with a devilish grin.  “Now that you’re a melted blue puddle of relaxation in that chair, good luck with the doctor.”  Sam caught the data pad sent flying at her by the grinning asari.  “See you in a few.”

* * *

 *** ARCTURUS STREAM • L5 LAGRANGIAN POINT of THEMIS ***  
*** SSV ORIZABA • FLEET ADMIRAL STEVEN HACKETT’S QUARTERS ***

Admiral Hackett leaned back in his chair, placed his feet up on his desk and took a sip from the cup full of freshly brewed tea.  Things were quiet… a bit too quiet for Hackett, old war horse that he was.  The Orizaba was trapped – along with every other ship that had made the last trip through the Charon/Arcturus relays – in this system until the… Repositories, their preferred title for themselves, finished repairs to the relay in this system and the destination relays.  He hoped it would be Charon.  If not Charon, then the Exodus Cluster would be the only other one available.  From there, they could go to a number of systems, providing the receiving relays were functioning.  A chime and flashing intercom alert on the desktop terminal interrupted his chain of thought.  _‘Dammit.  Never can finish an entire cup of tea while it’s fresh and hot’_.  He set his feet back on the deck as he sat upright in his chair to answer the summons.  “Hackett.  Talk to me, Captain.”

_“Admiral, Harbinger has just arrived in system.  I thought Esiz’Qür was huge… first time I’ve seen this one at such close range.  It appears to be conferring with Esiz’Qür at the relay.  Esiz’Qür sent a message to my communications officer via omni tool.  Harbinger wants to address you, along with the captain and XO of the Hong Kong II, using the QEC’s of the Orizaba and the Hong Kong.  No idea what can be that important, but it requests the channel be opened at precisely 1930.”_

Hackett checked the time - 1750.  “Captain, contact Bill Cody on the _Hong Kong_.  Give him the info; answer any questions you can, then ask him to move his ship away from the _Orizaba_ as far as practicable.  If we can look out a viewport and see each other, I think we’re too close.  Reaper communications ability should be able to compensate for a few hundred kilometers distance.  I’m still not sure I trust these new found… friends… not to rip us all to shreds.”

_“Aye-aye, Admiral.”_

* * *

*** NORMANDY • DECK TWO, CONFERENCE ROOM ***  
**\- 1920 -**

Major Kaiden Alenko had asked Garrus, Tali’Zorah and EDI to meet with Shepard and himself.  Alenko had changed into ‘blues’, as had Samantha Traynor.  Tali had, through trial and error, discovered how to modify Shepard’s projected image, which now appeared in dress blues as well.  They were going over the plan for the upcoming meeting one last time.

“Tali,” Shepard addressed her friend.  “Are you sure the projector isn’t going to glitch again and leave me facing everyone dressed in my underwear, or less?”

“Absolutely.  But…” Tali held up a small cylinder topped with a red-lit button.  “…I have a kill switch just in case.  If your uniform flashes, you’ll disappear from view before your clothes do.”

“That’s comforting,” Shepard snarked in reply.  “Telling the admiral I’m an organic intelligence in the Normandy’s computer may give him a heart attack.  I’d hate to add insult to injury by giving him a stroke with a flash of skin.  It’d push him over the edge.”

Garrus chuckled.  “Shepard, you can be sure if your uniform comes off your projected image, the admiral will take a really long, lingering look before giving you a field promotion to captain.”

This elicited a laugh from Alenko before a sharp look from Shepard caused him to stifle the laugh and assume a serious look.  “Okay everyone,” Alenko said.  “Let’s keep this as short as possible.  I’ll give the admiral a rundown of our actions since the Crucible fired.  We have a complete report that Žiuk’Durmah will transmit as part of the sub-carrier in the signal.  We do not reveal Shepard’s existence until Hackett can digest the fact _Normandy_ and her crew survived and we’re on our way home.”

EDI asked, “Is it necessary, or even required, that we provide the Admiral information on Shepard’s existence?”

Alenko paused before continuing.  “I have a feeling Harbinger will be telling him this anyway, but the appearance of Garrus, Tali and myself should convince him past any lingering doubts.  Specialist Traynor will be monitoring the transmission quality as before.  if you have anything to add Samantha, now’s the time.”

Sam had been engrossed in her own thoughts, and looked up at Alenko in surprise.  “Sir, I… well, I need… that is to say, I’d really appreciate it if you could ask for some information.”

“Go on, but be brief.”

“I have been attempting to discover the whereabouts of an old friend…” she paused, not sure if she should continue.  “… a woman who worked with me before I joined Alliance R&D.”

“Specialist, just tell us what you need,” Shepard said in a friendly voice, causing Garrus to open his left eye wide in surprise.  “We’ll do what we can.”

“Yes Ma’am.  Her name is Yuán Xiùlán.  Based on her transfer records, I believe she may be assigned to the _SSV Hong Kong_ … that is, the _Hong Kong II_.  Last I heard she was an LC.  Might be an SC by now.”  Sam finished in a quiet voice, “I would really love to know if she’s still alive.”

Alenko nodded at the specialist.  “We’ll ask Admiral Hackett, Samantha.”

Shepard looked at each of them in turn.  “I know these past few months have been difficult… for all of you.  I accept the blame for most of that, particularly during the past few weeks.  I really appreciate what all of you have done for me... for this ship and its crew.  Let’s get started.”

* * *

 *** ARCTURUS STREAM • L5 LAGRANGIAN POINT of THEMIS ***  
*** SSV ORIZABA • WAR ROOM / QEC *  
-1930 -**

Admiral Hackett entered the war room just as Harbinger’s projection was materializing in the center projection well.  He motioned for the tech to adjust the image size down in order to keep it from overflowing the projector.  Once this was done, Hackett had the tech leave and lock the hatch behind her.

In the QEC compartment, a projection of Captain Cody and Commander Yuán materialized at the same time.  They waited for the construct to address them.

**_HACKETT-FLEET ADMIRAL ON ORIZABA-DREADNAUGHT; CODY-CAPTAIN ON HONG KONG II-FRIGATE.  THIS REPOSITORY IS… PLEASED… TO BE PERMITTED TO ADDRESS YOU._ **

Hackett responded, “Thank you for traveling all this way from the Sol System.  First, please reduce the volume of your communications to us.  It is setting off collision alarms all over the ship.  Secondly, what information can you share regarding the status of repairs to the relays.  Also, there are some species in this system that are running low on provisions.”

**_VOLUME: Done.  Relay repair status: repairs to the Repository inbound/outbound relay, that which you know as the Citadel, have been completed; inbound/outbound relay will be relocated to the Widow System within ten standard days; damages were not as severe as originally believed; casualties on/in the wards were less than twenty percent; structural damages were not as serious as originally estimated._ **

**_Repairs to Charon are 89% complete.  Element Zero core still needs to be inserted and initialized, after which containment rings can be reset and powered.  Repairs to the relay in the Trebia system are deemed complete, only requiring testing to confirm that all operates as designed._ **

**_Supplies inside the structure of THIS Repository: Helium-3 fuel stores; Element Zero stores; dextro-based organic food supplies; levo-based organic food supplies.  These will be made available to all.  This Repository will set sealed containers outside for retrieval by Orizaba personnel.  Requests for anything that may be lacking will be considered and fulfilled as rapidly as possible._ **

Hackett was a bit taken aback by Harbinger’s statements.  _‘It’s a Reaper.  Why is it so damned ready to help?’_ he thought to himself.“Harbinger, your generous offer of supplies is appreciated.  We will send retrievers out immediately.  At what location should they approach you?”

 ** _A waypoint is being sent to your navigation systems,_** at which point it raised and spread its arms wide, as if preparing to fire its main weapons; nothing was charged, but a waypoint appeared on the projection, centered outside the juncture of the arms to the ‘body’.

Hackett keyed the ship’s intercom for the CIC.  “Officer of the watch - Admiral Hackett.  I am sending you a nav point; a location in front of Harbinger’s current position.  It is deploying supplies for our ships.  Please send crews out to retrieve them.  Harbinger will not bother you.”

 _“Aye aye, Admiral,_ ” came the reply.

Captain Cody spoke up, ‘looking’ at the admiral.  “Admiral Hackett, with your permission?”

“Don’t stand on ceremony with me, Captain.  You’re in this as much as anyone.”

“Thank you, Sir.”  Cody replied.  The projected image of Cody turned slightly, as if to look at the Reaper projection he was seeing on the _Hong Kong II_.  “Harbinger.  You were asked to bring news on the fate of the frigate  _SSV Normandy_.  Were you able to discover if the ship, or its crew, survived the energy wave?”

**_Cody-Captain.  Hackett-Admiral.  All transmissions from this point forward are being encrypted.  The cipher is being changed every second the transmission continues.  Recordings made by your ship VI’s will be incapable of being viewed without a cipher key for each second of transmission.  Standby…_ **

After a half-minute of silence, Harbinger continued: **_Normandy-frigate with crew survived the firing of the Crucible.  The vessel was caught in the Crucible generated energy wave.  Its approach vector to Charon was unalterable; Normandy-frigate continued on its vector once the energy wave engulfed the vessel.  This forced Normandy-frigate to the very edge of the galaxy, beyond what humans and turians refer to as Apien Crest and Aethon Cluster._**

Harbinger added a portion of a galaxy map to war room displays of both vessels, showing the two systems and the outer arm with the location of the unknown planet on which the _Normandy_ had been forced to land.  **_Normandy-frigate and crew are currently enroute to the Trebia system in the Apien Crest.  The ship will arrive in…_**

 _‘…between eighty to ninety-five years,’_ Hackett thought glumly.  _‘Rough calculation shows they probably need to travel about 1.5 to 1.7 kiloparsecs.  At the Normandy’s best speed,’_   he thought sadly, _‘I won’t be alive to welcome them home.’_

 ** _… arrive in less than eight standard months, based on their current position and velocity,_** Harbinger finished, as it placed a triangle on the galaxy map showing the _Normandy’s_ current location, along with a line indicating its path and a four-line readout indicating its ‘X-Y-Z position and velocity.  Harbinger increased the apparent magnification of that portion of the galaxy; the ‘graphic’ _Normandy_ could now be seen moving along its path, its position changing, advancing with each second that passed.  Hackett was stunned almost beyond words.  “How is this possible, Harbinger.  The _Normandy_ cannot possibly be traveling at that velocity.”  He struggled to compute in his head what it would take his data pad mere seconds.  “It would require a mass effect core the size of… well, yours… for them to achieve that rate of speed.

Cody asked, “Did they find a dormant relay out there, one not damaged by the energy wave?”

 ** _All relays were damaged, including dormant relays known only to Repositories.  Normandy-frigate did not find a relay.  Normandy-frigate crew found a Repository, what you would call a ‘Sovereign class Reaper’, as massive in size as Esiz’Qür.  It is Žiuk’Durmah._** Harbinger paused for several seconds, then continued.  **_Command crew of Normandy-frigate has requested your total discretion concerning the information this Repository is about to disclose.  There is to be no communications on this subject among the crew or from Orizaba-dreadnaught or Hong Kong II-frigate to any other vessel in this system._**

“Agreed, Harbinger,” Hackett replied.

“That goes for me as well,” Cody added.  “Please tell us what you know.”

**_Alenko-Major, ranking officer aboard Normandy-frigate, will tell you what you wish to know.  Stand by the QEC compartment._ **

Harbinger’s image in the center projection well dimmed.  Hackett turned to the QEC projection pads in time to witness hundreds of millions of pixels swirling in the space vacated by the images of Cody and Yuán; the cloud rapidly coalesced into three distinct images.  Hackett had seen many, many things in his years with the Alliance; nothing he had seen could prepare him for this… images of three people he had feared dead, standing shoulder-to-shoulder at the rail on the QEC projection pad.

In a flanging, time-lagged voice, Major Kaiden Alenko said, “Good to see you, Admiral,” as he executed a sharp salute.  “I have two people here with me I am sure you will recognize: General Garrus Vakarian,” at which Garrus executed a salute, “and Admiral Tali’Zorah vas Normandy.”  Tali had chosen to appear without her mask and helmet.  She saluted and said with a smile, “Admiral, it is an honor to meet you at last.”

Hackett swallowed past the lump in his throat.  He shakily returned their salutes.  “ _Hong Kong II_ , you receiving this?”

Captain Cody answered, saying, “Yes Sir.  Alenko?  Vakarian?  Admiral Zorah?  It is my immense pleasure to meet you; an even greater pleasure to see you all alive and well.  How is the rest of the _Normandy’s_ crew?”

Kaiden answered, “Believe me, the pleasure is all ours, Captain.  We have been out of touch for a long time.  And the crew is good.  “

Hackett had recovered a bit of his composure.  “First, I have to say to Admiral Zorah, it is the first time I have ever seen a quarian without a mask or helmet.  If I may be permitted, your appearance is quite striking, Ma’am.  I thought your suit had to sealed all the time.”

“It’s just Tali to you, Admiral, or Tali’Zorah if you wish to be remain formal,” she smiled.  “I have discovered that a side effect of Shepard’s solution is I do not get sick from environmental exposure, at least not on the _Normandy_.  That may not be the case outside, so I will continue to be cautious, but for now, I am enjoying my new freedom.”

“Major Alenko, please tell me what you and the _Normandy_ have been doing for all these weeks.  And how is it that you will arrive in the turian’s home system in less than a year?”

Alenko spent the next thirty minutes, with occasional help from Garrus and Tali, filling the Admiral in on some of what had transpired in the intervening time the _Normandy_ was thought to be lost.  He finished by informing the two officers that Žiuk’Durmah was transmitting a full, written report using a sub-carrier of the communication channel.  “This should be classified at the highest possible level, Admiral.  You will understand our request once you have read it in its entirety.”  Kaiden added, “Captain Cody, there is only one copy being transmitted.  I will leave it to the Admiral to decide if he wants to create a duplicate for you, but you and your XO are certainly welcome to read it.”

Hackett was having a difficult time digesting everything the major had just told him, particularly regarding the _Normandy_ being transported inside a Reaper.  “No signs of indoctrination, Alenko?”

“None, sir.  Of course, if I _was_ indoctrinated, I would simply lie to you and say I’m not.  You have to choose whether or not to believe my mind… the minds of the entire crew, are still our own,” Alenko said.  “I realize that is a tall order.  I can only ask that you trust what we say is true.  We are not being controlled.  Žiuk’Durmah assures me that Shepard’s solution removed the programming and the ability of the Repositories to perform indoctrination of any kind.”

Hackett addressed Garrus, “Vakarian, is the resupply… ship, going to arrive in time for you and Admir… that is, Tali’Zorah?  Sounds as if it will be a bit close.”

Garrus flared his mandibles in an imitation of a smile.  “I believe we will be fine, Admiral.  Žiuk’Durmah and Iringù-Eßizkur are closing at a combined speed in excess of 569 trillion kilometers a day.  We should rendezvous in plenty of time.  I only hope the supplies will include some turian brandy.  My own supply has all but disappeared.”

Hackett addressed Harbinger.  “How is it that no other ship captains have thought of hitching a ride… inside a… Reap, er, Repository?

**_Crew of Normandy-frigate desperate.  No other option, considering limited life span of humans, turian, quarian.  Asari would survive trip.  Prothean might survive trip.  Other ship captains are all afraid of indoctrination.  Žiuk’Durmah told Normandy-frigate crew indoctrination is now impossible.  No longer part of our programming.  No longer capable of indoctrination.  This Repository extends an offer to return frigates to Sol system.  Can carry six or seven inside structure.  Crew remains on their vessels.  Can also transport turian cruisers.  Dreadnaughts are too large._ **

“Major Alenko, I get the feeling you are leaving out parts of your report, almost as if you’re verbally redacting it.”

“Admiral, there’s someone else on the Normandy that needs to talk to you.”  At this point, the images of Tali and Garrus saluted, then vanished as they left the QEC on the Normandy.  A new figure coalesced in front of him, standing apart from Alenko.

“Admiral Hackett, it is a pleasure,” EDI said.

Hackett wasn’t sure what he was seeing.  “Alenko?”

“Admiral, this is EDI, formerly the ship’s AI.  You have the report on her… creation.”  Kaiden continued, “Briefly, a former Cerberus construct known as Eva Coré, disabled and captured on Mars at the start of the war.  She injured me, put me in hospital for a time.  The _Normandy’s_ AI, EDI, took the body over during Shepard’s mission to recover the turian Primarch.  EDI is now truly alive, thanks to the commander’s action on the Citadel.”

“Of course.  I do remember the report of that incident.  So, there’s no VI on the ship?”

“That is correct.”  EDI continued with, “Admiral, you, Captain Cody and his XO are about to receive information that may prove to be a bit overwhelming.  It is why we are requesting that you classify our report.  Only the three of you can be read into this.”  Looking over her shoulder, she said, “Tali?”

Another image began to coalesce, appearing between EDI and Alenko.  Hackett would have sunk to his knees if not for the rail in front of him.  He continued to hang on for dear life as the figure in front of him saluted and said, “Admiral Hackett?  I am glad to see you once again.”

Hackett was looking at a ghost, an apparition, back from the dead.  “Shepard?”  Is that… really… you’re alive?”  An image of the woman he could only think of as the daughter he never had was standing there, in her dress blues, no less!  “My god, how is this possible?  Alenko, if this is some sort of trick… some bit of sleight of hand, so help me…”

Shepard answered for Alenko, “Sorry to just spring this on you, Sir.  I’m in the computer core on the _Normandy_.  My physical body died, was consumed by the Crucible; this is something of which you are already aware, thanks to Esiz’Qür.  I’ve been part of the _Normandy_ since that day.  My essence, my soul, for lack of a better description, rejoined the ship as it was engulfed by the energy from the Crucible.”

“How is that even possible… Commander?”  Hackett was stunned, but keeping an open mind about the most improbable things had always served him well in the past.

“We believe all the Cerberus installed tech inside my resurrected body is the reason I can stand in front of you today,” she replied.  “Most of it was Reaper tech, something the Illusive Man was never shy about stealing.  Some on Earth believe in a concept known as ‘dualism’, the body and mind as separate entities.  It’s an interesting concept.  Anyway, I’m still me, Admiral.  My future bondmate and my crew all believe I’m still alive.  Harbinger can and will confirm it is really me.  This projection is the best Žiuk’Durmah can do for me until a cloned body can be found or created.  And the _Normandy_ is equipped with an organic intelligence, me, at least for the foreseeable future.”

**_THE SHEPARD stands before you, Hackett-Admiral, Cody-Captain.  Her continued existence is of great importance to every Repository that survived the Harvest.  This Repository would not be here if her continued existence was in question.  Repositories all believe in her continued existence.  Normandy-frigate would not be inside Žiuk’Durmah’s structure en route to Apien Crest if there was any doubt about her existence.  All Repositories are committed to developing a way for THE SHEPARD to once again live among her friends outside the server construct, to possibly enter our structures, so we may… learn from her._ **

Cody could be heard having a whispered conversation with someone.  “Captain Cody, to whom are you speaking?”  Hackett asked.

“Apologies, Admiral.  Conferring with my XO.”

“Excuse me, Admiral.  Captain Cody,” Shepard interrupted.  “I remember you.  We met once before, before Sovereign arrived.  How’d you escape the _Hong Kong_ when it was destroyed?”

“Shepard!  Yes, well, that’s a bit of a story, better told over shots in a bar!  Can’t imagine how meeting you slipped my mind.  We have a lot of catching up to do.”

“That we do!”  Shepard looked around, then back.  “Ah, by the way, my communications specialist is here, modifying the carrier modulation to account for the rapid changes in our relative positions.  She requested some information from the _Hong Kong II_.  What is the name of your XO?”

“Admiral?”  Cody felt he should get permission to speak.

Hackett answered for the captain.  “The XO on the _Hong Kong II_ is Staff Commander Yuán Xiùlán.  Is that important?”

Shepard and Alenko turned to look at Samantha, who was almost in tears.  “Specialist?”

Traynor quickly entered some text in her omni tool and sent it to Alenko.  He pulled up the text, read it and said, “SC Yuán.  My comm specialist wants to know if Cartagena Station means anything to you?”

Captain Cody could be seen reaching over to someone out of visual range of the QEC, before turning back to look at Alenko’s image.  “Please inform Specialist Samantha Traynor my XO sends her regards.  She is most pleased to learn the specialist escaped the Reaper attack on Vancouver and is alive and well on the _Normandy_.”

Shepard looked over her shoulder at Tali and Traynor.  “Tali, mind the carrier mod for a few moments.  Samantha, come stand by me.”

Cody was surprised to see the Normandy’s comm specialist appear beside her commander.  “Specialist Traynor, it is a distinct pleasure to meet you.  I have heard a great deal about you from Yuán.  She keeps a photo of the two of you on her desk.”

“Captain?”  Shepard asked, motioning towards his projection.  “Could you return the favor?”  Cody moved and reached out an arm, allowing his XO to stand beside him.  Shepard was not surprised to see a beautiful young woman, her delicate features speaking to her Chinese ancestry.  “Commander Yuán.  A pleasure.”

“Pleasure’s all mine, Commander.  You are a legend.  May I humbly request to be included in any plans for a welcome home party once we’re back in the Sol System?”

“It’d be my pleasure, Ms Yuán.”

Turning slightly to face Traynor’s projection on her side, Xiùlán coughed to clear her throat.  “Sammy?”  she cried.  “Oh god, it’s really you!  I was going crazy not knowing if you made it off Earth before…” her voice broke.

“It’s okay, Xiùlán.  I am very happy to see you,” Sam replied.  “Knowing you’re still alive after all that’s happened…” her voice quit working as well.

“It’s really good to know you’re alive, Sammy!”  Xiùlán wiped her eyes, then said “Hǎoyùn yīzhí xiàozhe duì wǒmen liǎ, sà màn shā!"  [好運一直笑著對我們倆，薩曼莎! - _Good fortune has smiled on both of us, Samantha!_ ]

Samantha tried to regain her composure by wiping her tears away before she replied with, “Nǐ shǐ wǒ de shēngmìng biàn de wánzhěng, Xiùlán.”  [你使我的生命變得完整，秀蘭 - _You have made my life complete, Xiùlán._ ] 

Commander Shepard smiled at Hackett’s projected image as Traynor returned to her control station.  “Admiral?  Captain?  I realize all this,” she raised her arms to indicate everything around her, “is a lot to have dropped on you all at once.  It may be a good idea to conclude our meeting for now… give you both a chance to read our reports.”  She paused, then added, “I highly recommend you take advantage of Harbinger’s offer to transport several ships back to the Sol system.  It’s one hell of a ride.”

Hackett grinned at her.  “It’s already been one hell of a ride, Commander.  I can’t imagine how it could be any better.  Knowing you still survive, even as… an…”

Words for a description failed him until Shepard supplied them.  “… organic intelligence, Admiral?  The specialist here…” Shepard directed her smile at Traynor, “… has referred to me as ‘A Ghost in the Machine’, and I suppose that fits as well as anything.”

“It certainly does, Commander.  Major Alenko?  My regards to both of you and your entire crew.  It’s a hell of a thing you’ve all done.  You should all get medals for original thinking.”

Alenko replied, “Thanks, Admiral.  It was desperate thinking, actually, by desperate people.  We’re all looking forward to returning home.”

After several seconds of silence, Harbinger’s projected image grew in intensity.  **_THE SHEPARD continues to live as Shepard-Normandy.  Shepard-Normandy will speak with you again before this Repository leaves this system.  There will be space designated for transporting cruisers and frigates.  It is recommended by Shepard-Normandy.  It will enable some of your fleet to return to the Sol System.  We will standby for five standard days.  This Repository anticipates talking to Hackett-Admiral, Cody-Captain, Shepard-Normandy prior to departure._**


	26. Ceremonial Meetings

_Uncertainty is a quality to be cherished, therefore – if not for it, who would dare to undertake anything?_ \- Villiers de L’Isle-Adam

* * *

 *** NORMANDY DECK THREE • PORT SIDE, LIARA’S QUARTERS ***  
**\- 2205 -**

Sam entered Liara’s quarters, standing just inside the bulkhead as the hatch closed.  Liara looked up at her with a tentative smile, an unspoken question on her lips as Sam punched in the code to lock it against intrusion, then turned and leaned her back against the cool metal.  Her hands, loosely balled into fists, fingertips against lips, covered her mouth; her cheeks displayed small rivulets of mascara, tracing paths from the corners of her eyes.

Appearing as if she could break down sobbing at any moment, Sam looked at the asari and whispered past her knuckles, “She’s alive, Liara.”  The tears started retracing their previous paths as she slid downwards against the hatch, slowly sinking to sit on the deck, her knees drawn up to her chin as she began sobbing for joy.  “Xiùlán… still… lives,” she whispered, her voice catching between every word.

Liara rose and quickly moved towards Samantha, crouching in front of her on the deck.  “By the Goddess, Sam, you saw her?  Spoke to her?”  Liara reached out to grasp Sam’s upper arms in an effort to sooth her.  “Samantha, this is wonderful news!”  Liara helped the specialist regain her feet, only to be rewarded with a gut-wrenching cry as Sam encircled her with her arms and buried her face in Liara’s neck.  Heaving sobs wracked her body as the asari half-supported the distraught human and stroked her head and hair, trying to comfort her.  It was several minutes before Liara could get Sam calmed down enough to talk.

Pulling away just enough to lay her cheek on Liara’s shoulder, she drew a ragged breath and gasped, “I’d almost given up hope of finding her alive, Liara, of ever seeing her again… even with all the resources of the Shadow Broker at my disposal.”

Liara gave her some tissue to wipe her eyes and blow her nose as she walked the specialist to the nearest chair, on which she nearly collapsed in a heap as she continued, “Seeing her, hearing her tell me good fortune had smiled on us?  It was all I could… all I could do to maintain my composure.  I’m so grateful she’s alive.  That’s wrong of me, isn’t it Liara?  I’m being selfish, when so many people lost everything, lost everyone they cared about, or themselves, to these abominations?”

“No Samantha, don’t you even think that.  Everything happens for a reason.  Xiùlán survived.  You survived.  I survived, along with the entire crew of this ship.  There has to be hope for some of us.  Without that hope, without the rewards hope can bring, we all may just as well be dead.”  Liara gently placed her hands on both sides of Sam’s face.  “I’m glad Xiùlán survived.  You will be with her again, Samantha, of that I’m sure.  Now, it’s growing late.  Perhaps you should go to bed…”  Liara raised a hand to stifle the incipient protest. “… come on.  Let’s get you out of your dress clothes.  Time for you to sleep.  We’ll talk some more in the morning.”

Liara walked Sam back to their shared sleeping area, where she patiently assisted with removing and hanging her dress blues.

Sam turned her back to remove her bra, leading Liara to gently touch the lettering across the small of her back, right at the waistband of her panties.  “Sam, this tattoo… it’s different.  Not a picture or drawing.  Looks almost like it might be a language.”

Sam sniffled as she responded, “That’s my statement of love for Xiùlán – 你讓我的生活完成，Xiùlán - it says ‘ _You make my life complete, Xiùlán_ ’. The characters are hànzì - Chinese.  She has a split phrase on her body.  It translates to ‘ _My love for you will never end, Samantha_ ’… looks like this written out…”  Sam picked up a data pad and stylus and entered the hànzì characters to show Liara - 我對你的愛永遠不會結束，薩曼莎.  “It’s pronounced ‘Wǒ duì nǐ de ài yǒngyuǎn bù huì jiéshù, sà màn shā’.”

As Sam pulled her sleep shirt over her head, Liara rolled the strange language around her tongue.  “It sounds beautiful.  And the written characters, what did you call them?  They look like art.”

“Hànzì,” Sam answered, voice muffled under her shirt.  “The characters number in the tens of thousands, although functional literacy in written Chinese only requires a knowledge of between three and four thousand characters.  My knowledge of them only numbers in the dozens… makes me functionally illiterate in written Chinese.”

Liara turned the covers on the bed down as she asked, “Is ‘ _Sà màn shā_ ’ how your name is spoken in the Chinese language?”

Sam sniffed as she replied, “Yep.  Xiùlán will use that when she’s really upset, either with me or with whatever situation I’ve managed to get us into.”  Sam turned to face her and said in an emotionally halting voice, “I had almost given up hope of ever again hearing the music in her voice when she says my name.”

Setting the electro-chromatic glass to its darkest setting, Liara smiled as Sam crawled into bed.  “I’m going to do a bit more work, Samantha.  Go to sleep.  You’ll feel better in the morning.”

Samantha had drifted off to sleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow, not even waking up a few hours later when Liara had crawled into bed herself.

Sam woke briefly at about 0410.  She couldn’t really be sure of the time, but she _was_ sure there was a person snuggled up to her back, one arm stretched out between them, the other arm around/over her waist with a hand cupping her left breast.  Sam was comforted that Liara could somehow channel Xiùlán.  She moved her right hand up from between her thighs to cover Liara’s hand, snuggled deeper into the covers, sighed contentedly and fell back to sleep.

* * *

**\- 0710 -**

Liara was the first to wake up, discovering as she did so there was a hand on top of her own; further, her hand was on Samantha’s body, gently cupping her breast through her sleep shirt.  This was the first time she had slept this close to Traynor since their first night together, and it surprised her to discover herself in the exact same position now as she had been before… snuggled up to Traynor’s back as tight as she could fit. She had to pee, so tried to slide her hand from between Sam’s hand and her breast;

This effort was met with increasing resistance as Sam exerted just enough pressure to prevent Liara from retrieving her hand.  “You do realize, T’Soni,” Sam whispered, imitating Liara’s tone from before, “that you’re holding a very sensitive part of my body.  Not that I mind… feels good, to tell the truth.”

Not for the first time lately Liara thought to herself ‘ _Forgive me Rachaél_ ,’ as she nuzzled Samantha’s neck right below her ear. “Sam, it would seem that us sleeping together is not a good idea.”

“Nonsense, Liara.”  Sam continued to press Liara’s hand against her breast.  “Sleeping is not the problem.  It’s waking up horny with your hand on my boob and your lips on my neck.  I’ve never made love to an asari.  Wonder what it’s like…”  Samantha slid herself away from Liara enough so she could turn over to face her and still hold her hand with their arms now between them.  Sam brought her left arm over Liara’s body; placing her hand on her butt, she pulled Liara in as close as she could.  “I told you I wouldn’t attempt to take advantage of our situation, Liara,” Sam whispered, mouth so close that Liara could feel the movement of Sam’s lips brushing her cheek.  “I don’t believe we can sleep in the same bed together any longer without me finding out.”  Sam kissed her cheek.

“Samantha, I…”  Liara hesitated, then gently kissed her lips.  “We’re going to have to split our shifts.”  Liara paused to kiss Sam again, lingering longer this time.  “Since you have to be available for your regular duties on the Normandy…” another kiss, even longer and more passionate, “… I’ll take the late shift.  We’ll share the bed, but we’ll each sleep alone.  It’s the only sensible solution.”

Sam looked puzzled.  “I don’t care for that idea at all.  I know Rachaél is your bondmate.  I am totally in love with Xiùlán.  Neither one is in a position to help us with this problem.”  Sam kissed Liara, then let her go.  “We’ll work this out.  I enjoy your company in bed Liara, especially since you have so faithfully adopted Xiùlán’s sleeping position with me.”  She rose to a sitting position with her feet on the deck and took three deep breaths, after which she got up to get dressed and added, “We can discuss this more at breakfast.”

* * *

 *** DECK THREE • CREW’S MESS ***  
**\- 0755 -**

Liara and Samantha had finished eating and were each enjoying their cups of tea.  Liara still wasn’t sure that sharing a bed with Sam wasn’t being unfaithful to Rachaél.  Sam was just as convinced that being unfaithful meant having a sexual relationship.  “I think the best thing for us to do is to ask the commander for her opinion.”

“Samantha, please.  I will talk to her privately.  As it happens, Doctor Chakwas released me to full duty yesterday.  You are free to return to your own quarters, if you wish.” 

Sam wasn’t prepared for this.  “What do _you_ want me to do, Liara?  I won’t pretend I haven’t enjoyed sharing your quarters.”

“It must be your decision, Samantha.  I’m not going to simply kick you out… actually, I am enjoying your company.  It’s been nice being able to discuss business with someone besides Glyph.  You are a good student.”  Liara paused to take another sip from her mug.  “Being an information broker can be a bit… overwhelming.  You have made good progress on how and where to look for data.  I would very much appreciate having you continue as my assistant for as long as you wish to continue learning from me.”

“Have you given any thought to moving all your gear… your operation, off the Normandy once we’re back in the turian home system?”

“I’m sure I’ll be asked to leave the Normandy at some point, if I don’t preemptively do so on my own.”  Liara studied Sam over the rim of her cup as she sipped the last of her tea.  “The ship’s crew will most likely be split up, assigned to other ships or ground stations; the Alliance will almost certainly post a new captain and an executive officer to this ship once we’re back in a settled system.  I seriously doubt having a non-Alliance civilian on board will be allowed to continue, especially one with my background.”

“How will that affect _our_ working relationship?” Sam asked.

“I honestly don’t know,” Liara replied.  “You would need to talk to the commander or Major Alenko.  I seriously doubt you’d be allowed to accompany me off this ship,” she said in a thoughtful manner, “at least, not as long as you are an Alliance officer.  I cannot imagine how I could effectively operate without all my data feeds.  The vessel used by the previous broker at Hagalaz would be prohibitively expensive to recreate.  My agreement with Admiral Hackett was effectively done when Shepard made…” Liara’s voice hitched as she finished, “… made her choice to join organics with synthetics.”

Samantha cupped her chin in a hand as she idly drew patterns using the several spots of spilled water on the table.  Without taking her eyes from the table she observed thoughtfully, “There are a multitude of ships out there that could be used as a mobile platform for information gathering, Liara.  Let me do a bit of research, see what will work.”  She gathered their dishes and utensils and said, “In the meantime, I have to see the major about a dedication ceremony.”

* * *

 *** DECK THREE • STARBOARD SIDE CREW LOUNGE ***  
**\- 0915 –**

Major Alenko looked quizzically at the specialist.  “Let me see if I understand this, Samantha.  You want to relocate Shepard’s nameplate to the server compartment entrance?  Why did you remove it from the Deck Three Memorial Wall?”

“Because it doesn’t belong there, Major.”  She held up her hand to stifle his protest.  “Sir, I was probably the last person on this vessel to accept that Rachaél Shepard was still alive, still a part of the Alliance.  She gave her last full measure to end the war… the harvest, as it was referred to by the Reapers; and yet, a part of who she was still survives in the computer core vacated by EDI.  We need to acknowledge that sacrifice, Sir.  I _need_ to do this, for her.”

“What do you propose we do, Specialist?”

“I want to have a ceremony in the med bay,” Samantha responded.  “I want Liara to place this nameplate on the bulkhead beside the entry to the server compartment. Those that wish to speak can do so.  It’s a perfect time to do this.  Admiral Hackett knows we survived, knows Shepard survived.”

Kaiden thought for a few seconds, than said, “Okay, Traynor.  Set it up for 1400.  Let everyone from the first dedication know what you’re doing.”

“Yes Sir.  Oh, should I… that is, do you think I should… damn, I don’t really want to ask.  Do you think I should include Javik?

“Let’s not complicate this any more than necessary,” Kaiden responded.  “I don’t see any reason for Javik to attend, unless you really want to include him. Have you asked Liara?”

“Not yet Sir.  I didn’t see a need to do so until I had permission to move forward.”

“See how she feels about it.  I’ll support whatever decision you reach,” Kaiden replied.

“Thank you Sir.”

“By the way, how are things going with the Shadow Broker?  Any problems?”

“Nothing we haven’t been able to work out quietly by ourselves, Sir.  She tells me I’m a fast learner,” Samantha replied.

“Good.  Dismissed, Specialist.”

* * *

 *** ARCTURUS STREAM • L5 LAGRANGIAN POINT of THEMIS ***  
*** SSV ORIZABA • FLEET ADMIRAL STEPHEN HACKETT’S QUARTERS ***

Captain William Cody handed a data pad to Admiral Hackett.  “Here’s the inventory list, Sir… it’s rather extensive.  A cursory look at just the H3 provided by Harbinger shows that every Alliance frigate has been refueled.  Some of our cruisers were literally flying on fumes… these have been partially refueled, enough so they can continue to operate until the next Reaper arrives with more supplies.  Turian ships have also been refueled; eezo has been replenished as required.  Harbinger apologized…” Cody paused, shaking his head in near disbelief, “… for not bringing more.”

Hackett scrolled through the lists of other supplies provided by the Reaper.  “Looks like more than enough food stores for everyone, dextro and levo.”  He sat the tablet on his desk and murmured, “Simply amazing.”  Looking back up at the captain, he asked, “What about the offer for transport, Cody?  Any takers?”

“None, Sir.  Not surprising.  No ship’s captain in the fleet is going to volunteer to place their vessel… their crew… inside one of the very creations that was trying its best to annihilate them just six or seven months ago.  Not so sure I could do that myself.  You may just have to order one or two ships to make the trip anyway, but you could be rewarded with a mutiny.”

“I wouldn’t order anyone to make a trip, or take a ride, I wouldn’t take myself, Captain.”  Hackett placed his hand over his mouth, thumb under his chin as he paced his office and thought about what to do.  “Captain, I want the _Hong Kong II_ back in the Sol system.”  Hackett held up both hands palms outwards to deflect the inevitable protests forming on Cody’s lips.  “Hear me out, Bill…  Please, just hear me out before you shoot me down.”

“You really believe a mere captain could shoot down a fleet admiral, Sir?”

Hackett chuckled.  “Many have tried, Captain.  You would not be the first.”  Hackett turned serious as he outlined what he wanted to do.  “I’m going to take a nearly unprecedented step, Bill.  I’ll transfer my flag to the Hong Kong.  We’ll travel back to Sol together, docked inside that bloody Reaper.”

Cody was virtually speechless.  “Admiral, that’s…”

“… Crazy talk from on old soldier, past his prime?”  Hackett chuckled again.

“Not what I was about to say, Admiral,” Cody replied with a grin, “and you know that.  I was going to ask about _this_ ship, its crew, your staff.  Also, why not take one of the cruisers, sir?  A frigate is not nearly as intimidating or well-armed.”

“I’ll leave the _Orizaba_ here with the ships that remain.  All have plenty of supplies, thanks to Harbinger,” Hackett replied.  “The war, harvest, whatever historians decide to call it, is over.  There’s not a damned thing for me to do in this system but watch those machines crawl around on the relay, and quite frankly, that was old after the first day.  And why not a frigate?  The _HK2_ is based on the _SR-1 Normandy_ ; retrofits since it was commissioned have brought it more in line with the SR-2 Cerberus designed ship, and improvements have been added since then.  I’d like to see how the ship performs.”

Cody was still skeptical.  “It doesn’t have the same level of personal amenities, Sir.  Accommodations for someone of your rank are… austere, to put it bluntly.”

“I came up through the ranks, Bill.  I’ll sleep on the hanger deck if I have to.  Head back to your ship and get it ready to go.  Contact Harbinger.  Tell it the _HK2_ wants to hitch a ride back to the Sol system.  I’ll get my travel gear ready.  Any communications we need to have between this system and Harbinger can be handled through Esiz’Qür.  I have a feeling the relay here will be functional again in a short time.”  Hackett paused to look around his office.  “Once it’s revealed the _HK2_ is going back with Harbinger, I think we can count on two or three other ships to follow.  Their captains just need someone to set an example.”

“They’ll go because of you, Admiral,” Cody said.

“No, Captain.  We’re not going to tell them I’m on board your ship, understood?” Hackett said firmly.  “Moving my flag to the _Hong Kong_ can not be the reason for any other ship to embark on this trip.  I want them to follow _your_ lead, not mine.”

“Is this because of Shepard, Sir?  Shepard and the Normandy?”

“In a way.  The relay in the turian system is virtually ready…  Charon is close.  By the time _Normandy_ arrives in the Apien Crest, they should have a straight shot to the Citadel.  Charon will get us there as well.  I want to be on the Citadel when _Normandy_ docks, Bill.  I want to personally greet each and every one of the people on that ship, tell them what a great job they did.  I’m hoping Vakarian and Tali’Zorah will stay with the ship, but I’m not holding my breath.”

Cody was still not convinced this was a good idea, but he knew the futility of arguing with the old man.  “I’ll make the preparations, sir.”  He saluted and turned to go.

“Bill?”  Hackett stopped him.  “Remember, not a word to anyone that doesn’t need to know.”

“Aye aye, Sir.”

* * *

 *** NORMANDY · DECK THREE, MED BAY ***  
**\- 1355-1330 -**

Doctor T’Soni entered the MedBay with an expression of concern.  “Samantha, why did you summon me…” glancing in Doctor Chakwas direction, “… here?”  The question was voiced with just a hint of foreboding.

“What’s the matter, T’Soni?  Worried I’m going to rescind your release to full duty if you set foot in here?”  Doctor Chakwas said, managing a chuckle with the snarky tone.

“Well, I do still have braces on my teeth, and my fingers and knuckles are still a bit sore, so yes, that possibility had crossed my mind.  I haven’t had that much experience with human medical facilities or doctors.  Based on my experience in this place,,,” she lifted her hands to indicate her immediate area and the beds, “… I can only assume shore based facilities are worse.”

“Actually, they’re just the opposite.”  Chakwas paused as the door opened to admit Kaiden Alenko, followed by Garrus, Tali, Joker and EDI.  “Ask Major Alenko what kind of care he received at Huerta Memorial.”

“Couldn’t get out of the place fast enough,” came the reply.

“Not helping, Major.”

Liara smiled at their banter as she turned back to Traynor.  “Okay, so why are we here?”

“Hang on just a few more minutes, Liara.  Couple more people are coming,” she replied, then added while backing towards the entrance to the server compartment, “Would everyone please gather at this end of the Med Bay?  EDI?”

EDI activated her omnitool, entered a command, then shut the tool down as Commander Shepard’s projection appeared beside her.  She looked around at those gathered together; her attention shifted to the entrance as the hatch opened to admit James Vega, Steve Cortez, Gabby, Ken, and Greg Adams.

Traynor had found a small stool, on which she now stood just to the left of the Server Room entrance hatch; she looked around at those gathered in front of her and smiled as they waited for her to speak.

“It’s probably no surprise to anyone here, especially Liara, EDI and Commander Shepard,” she looked at each one in turn as she said their names, “that I did not accept the continued existence of the _Normandy’s_ commander, Rachaél Shepard.”  Laughter greeted this admission, causing Traynor to blush.

Recovering her composure, she continued, “Yes, I am now a believer.  Well, having accepted that Commander Shepard is still alive as an organic intelligence in the server core behind me, I also came to believe the memorial wall was the wrong location for this.”  She held up the nameplate she’d removed from its place above Admiral Anderson’s.  “I removed it from the wall several days ago…”

Garrus interrupted with, “… I had wondered where that was.”

“… yessss, well, after taking the nameplate, I showed it to Liara.  We had some discussion on the matter, and came to the conclusion that a more appropriate location would be the door frame to the compartment behind me, at least until she is free of the confines of the server.”

Samantha stepped down from the stool.  She handed the nameplate to Liara and whispered as she hugged her. “Your turn, Shadow Broker.”

Liara moved to the bulkhead on the right side of the server entrance.  After carefully placing the nameplate on the door frame, she turned to her crewmates… her friends.  “When Rachaél gave her life, her last full measure of devotion to end the war… harvest, as the Reapers called it, I felt that moment just as intensely as if I’d actually witnessed it.  My bond with her was… is, so intense, I felt as if I’d been stabbed in the heart as her body, already near death, was consumed by the energy from the device.”  She paused to swipe at the tears that had overflowed her eyelids.  “To have her… presence, on this ship, is a gift from the Goddess.  And her choice on the Citadel affected all of us.  We all carry a part of Shepard within us. EDI is truly alive because of Shepard’s choice.  The geth, which she fought so hard to save, still live.  The Reapers live.  All have been imbued with bits of Shepard’s DNA.”  Liara looked at everyone standing in front of her.

"A cloned body may be her only chance to actually live among us again.  The projection,” here she looked directly at Shepard’s pixelated eyes, “is very good, but it is just that.  I cannot hold you.  I swear to you Rachaél, if it takes years, or decades, I will wait for your rebirth, your resurrection, so I can hold you close once again.”

Žiuk’Durmah had been listening to all this; normally, it would not have commented on activities within the _Normandy_ , but felt it had to add to this ceremony. **_S **h** epard-Normandy.  Forgive the intrusion.  This Repository has been listening.  Know that every Repository that witnessed your choice on the Citadel is searching for a cloned body or a method to create one.  Searches are underway for Miranda Lawson.  It is believed she survived on Earth and is assisting in reconstruction.  A search of the area around Anadius has found only wreckage – bits and pieces of what was Cronos Station._**

“Žiuk’Durmah, can you locate Miranda’s sister, Oriana Lawson?  She might be able to help us locate Miranda.  There may also be evidence left at _Sanctuary_ , on Horizon in the Iera System,” Liara responded.  “It was totally overrun with husks when we left.  It may not be safe for anyone to return there.”

 **_Surviving ‘husks’ to which you refer have all been removed from the planet.  Sanctuary is deserted.  There is no danger from Repository created creatures._ ** **_The research being done there was solely designed to enable Cerberus control of ‘husks’ and eventual control of Repositories.  The human Oriana will be added to the search.  All Repositories will be searching for answers to your queries._ **

“Thank you for your assistance, Žiuk’Durmah,” Liara responded.  “If I may ask, how is Javik doing as your guest?”

**_The injuries suffered by the Last Prothean continue to heal.  Javik spends his waking time researching my records on Prothean civilization.  His thirst for knowledge on his people seems insatiable.  His stated purpose is to write a definitive history on the rise and fall of the Prothean empire.  He still has hope you may be interested in assisting._ **

Looking at Samantha as she answered, Liara said, “I would be very interested in assisting.  However, he must put aside his violent tendencies, and he must offer a sincere apology to my assistant for his murderous assault on her.  Please inform him these conditions are not negotiable, Žiuk’Durmah.”

**_It will be done._ **

Liara turned her attention to Shepard.  “Commander, I… that is, we… would be interested in hearing your thoughts.”  Several people gave their enthusiastic agreement, James being the most notable with “…Go Lola!”

Shepard moved to stand on Traynor’s stool so everyone could see her.  She stood silent for several moments, looking at each crew member in turn. She smiled as she looked at Samantha Traynor.  “What I have to say may not be new info for some of you.  My choice on the Citadel was not foreseen by anybody, not even the control program created by the Leviathans.  Liara can probably provide more details about our early encounters with Saren Arterius and Sovereign.  Once I discovered the truth about the Reapers, I dedicated my life to stopping the coming invasion… my entire focus was on the destruction of every last one of these abominations.  I never envisioned or considered any other option.  On the Citadel, I was offered three options.  Destroy them?  I risked destroying every synthetic in the galaxy, including geth and EDI, and I would be dead.  Control them? I would have stopped the harvest, could have guided the rebuilding of galactic civilization, but I would have lost myself in the process… may just as well _be_ dead.  Synthesis?  It would seem _this_ is the solution the Leviathan created ‘intelligence’ wanted.  In the end, it was the only choice that made sense… to me.”

“My choice brought an end to the war… the ‘harvest’.  EDI is not just a synthetic, she’s a person, truly alive.  Jeff’s bones continue to get more resilient every day.  Tali’s immune system becomes more resistant every day.  I truly believe the geth and quarians are working together to get home to Rannoch, where they will rebuild their world as equal partners.  The Reapers have been revealed to be vast storehouses… repositories of the civilizations they obliterated over the past 8,000 cycles or more.  They want to share that knowledge with us.  Think of what will be available to everyone galaxy wide once the relays and comm buoys have all been repaired and reactivated.”

“The more time I spend in the server on this ship, the more convinced I am that I did the right thing, for all of us.  You have my gratitude for your faith in my continued existence on this ship.  With any luck, and some help from the Repositories, I’ll be free of the server and able to live among you again.   _That_ is something I truly look forward to.”

* * *

 *** ARCTURUS STREAM • L5 LAGRANGIAN POINT of THEMIS ***  
*** SSV HONG KONG II • DECK TWO, BRIDGE ***

Yuán Xiùlán was sitting in the navigator’s chair behind the Hong Kong’s co-pilot, Flight Lieutenant JG Wendy Michèle Hall, so she could closely monitor the maneuver they were about to attempt.  Hall was running the numbers based on the information Yuán had provided.  “You’re positive the _SR-2 Normandy_ pulled this off, XO?  Seems like a really tight fit.”

“Run the numbers again, Wendy,” Xiùlán replied.  “Based on the reports from the _Normandy’s_ AI, Harbinger has a larger entrance than Žiuk’Durmah, and the _HK2_ is not as large as the _SR-2 Normandy_.  Should be less of a challenge to plant this vessel inside that thing, unless you’re implying Spencer is any less capable than the Flight Lieutenant on the _Normandy_.”

Flight Lieutenant Gordon Spencer turned part way in his chair so he could look at his XO.  “You serious?  Moreau is a legend.  Top of his class in the academy.  Stole the _SR-1_ at Arcturus Station before it was commissioned, took the damned thing for a joyride, out flew a bunch of turian and Alliance ships trying to maneuver him into a corner.”

“I’m well aware of all that, thank you very much, Neil,” Xiùlán said, using his middle name as a way to get under his skin.  “You just shot my little motivational speech all full of holes, but thanks for the history lesson.  Now, do you know why this frigate is named for a city on Earth?”

“Actually, it’s named for its predecessor, the first _Hong Kong_ ,” Spencer replied.  “But it does seem a bit strange that it’s named after a city.”

“Didn’t you study early to mid-twentieth century Earth history in college, Lieutenant?” Xiùlán asked.  “The city of Hong Kong was a colony under the control of Great Britain when it was attacked in December 1941 by forces of Imperial Japan, an island nation to the northeast.  The city was captured in less than twenty days.”  Xiùlán could see the smart-assed comment forming on Spencer’s lips.  “And no, I wasn’t involved in the action… bit before my time.  Anyway, the conflict is also known as the _Fall of Hong Kong_ , as the city remained under Japanese control for the duration of the war… second war of that century to be known as a ‘world war’.  So, this frigate and its predecessor were both named after an important battle, not the city.”

“Course solution has been plotted and entered into the NavCom, Commander,” Hall said, having ignored most of the conversation going on behind and beside her.  “We can initiate the maneuver whenever you’re ready, Ma’am.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant Hall,” Xiùlán replied as she stood.  “Standby while I inform the skipper.”  She moved aft to stand at the port side airlock as she thought, _‘Damn it, Sammy.  I’m going to be riding around inside a freaking monster, same as you.  Hope we’re not going willingly to our own slaughter!’_

Activating her comm, she said softly, “Captain Cody?  XO Yuán.  Flight Lieutenant Hall has a solution plotted and entered.  Give the word, we’re on our way.”

_“Stand by, Commander.  I’m receiving a shuttle with some… additional equipment.  Have Spencer monitor the hanger deck… soon as the hatch is closed, you may proceed.  I’ll be up shortly.”_

“Aye, Sir.”  Xiùlán returned to the navigator’s chair and passed the info to her pilots.  “Once we’re within 75 meters of Harbinger’s entry point, I want you to record the HK2’s track into the storage space.  We’ll do this just like the Normandy… Moreau has an exact plot stored in his NavCom… he can have that ship moving out of the hatch at 90 mps by the time the engines nacelles clear the opening.  Our attitude on entry has to be dead centered, particularly the engines.  We’ll use maneuvering thrusters to park this thing, so retract the lower engine pylons and centerline the engine exhausts; extend the landing gear as well.”

“Ma’am?”  Spencer looked at her questioningly.

“Once inside and docked, atmo should be shirt sleeve,” Xiùlán replied.  “I want you and an engineer safety harnessed in a shuttle with the hatches open so you can visually inspect the exterior.”  Spencer still looked doubtful.  “That includes the gear, gear bays and doors.  We’ve put this bird through a lot, had a lot of fire directed at us without any real chance for an external visual.  I hate depending on hull sensors.  Don’t want any surprises when we leave our Reaper shuttle.”

“You got it, Ma’am.  Anything else?”

Xiùlán glanced at a flashing indicator on the hull status board.  “Shuttle bay door just closed and sealed,” Xiùlán noted.  “Let’s get under way.

“Oscar Mike, Ma’am.”  Spencer, in tandem with his co-pilot, began entering commands on the array of Haptic interfaces in front of him.

Xiùlán felt the ship stirring under and behind her as Spencer initiated maneuvering thrusters.  “Helm, sound GQ.  DC teams to standby.  Bring kinetic shields on the engine pylons to full power.”  A faint vibration could be felt as the number one and number four engine pylons retracted into place beneath number two and three.

“Helm, aye-aye, Ma’am,” Spencer replied as Hall changed interfaces and touched several controls in rapid succession.  A low volume alarm sounded for seven seconds then shut off as several indicators on her status panel changed from red to green; several others illuminated in a deep violet, indicating barriers around the engines had been energized.

Xiùlán then looked towards the overhead and said, “Harbinger?   _HK2_ proceeding to docking coordinates.”

**_Understood, Hong Kong-frigate.  This Repository is ready._ **

Xiùlán watched through the viewports as the ship came around to its plotted path, the nose lining up on a nightmare vision similar to what the Normandy crew must have been faced with.  Harbinger spread its arms wide, as if to embrace their ship in a strangle hold; the same posture displayed many times by scores of its kindred Reapers during the battle to retake Earth, only this time, neither side had weapons ready to discharge.  Their target, outlined in harsh lights and the slight distortion of a green-tinged kinetic barrier, was centered at the base of its arms… an opening in the shape of an ellipse.  “Helm, bring up all our exterior lighting.  Slow our approach velocity to seven meters a second; roll the ship to line us up horizontally.”

“Lights on; velocity seven; adjusting attitude, aye-aye, Ma’am,” Hall replied.

Xiùlán looked up in surprise as Cody placed a hand on her shoulder; she’d been so focused on the task at hand she had not heard him enter the bridge.  “Sir?”

“Don’t mind me… it’s your ship,” he said with a grin.  “Carry on, XO, I’m just here to observe.  You seem to have this operation well in hand.”

“Aye aye, Sir,” she responded.  Returning her attention to the viewports and instruments, she remarked, “Never thought I’d be this close to one of these things…”  then to Spencer, “… Helm, approach velocity one meter a second.”

“Velocity one, aye, Ma’am.” Hall replied.

“Standby for entry.  Tell me if any part of the ship gets within 23 meters of the opening frame.  Pay special attention to the tail and engine pylons.”

“Aye aye, Ma’am,” Hall replied.

The ‘cheek’ mounted viewport deflectors caused the Reaper’s kinetic barrier to emit a fluorescent yellow-green sparkling display as the charged metal interacted with the massive energy field of the electronic barrier.  The display played out across the nose as the Hong Kong II moved beyond the emitters, sliding past to rise up and over the side and upper viewports.

Harbinger had activated a number of intensely bright lights inside the hatch, allowing those in the cockpit to view portions of the interior.  There appeared to be an enormous amount of room ahead of them, as well as above, below and to both sides.

Lieutenant Hall looked at an overhead display and remarked, “There’s ‘atmo’ in here.  Looks like a close approximation of Citadel standard.  Temp is just over 21° and increasing.  Should be shirtsleeve by the time we’re docked.”

Harbinger had the entire space illuminated.  Docking lights along each side helped illuminate an area with a distant ceiling and side walls, which appeared to be arched.  There were several platforms in the center of the vast space; these looked to be set at the correct location to allow access to a frigate’s port side airlock.  Two flights of stairs descended from each platform to a continuous walkway below which would allow access to a hatch on the far wall.  The ship – or ships, if more captains could be convinced to join them – would dock with its nose over the walkway.  The platform arrangement was staggered; ships could be docked with their port side airlocks facing each other.  A larger space would separate the starboard side of the next ship to dock.

As Xiùlán studied the docking arrangement, Lieutenant Hall spoke without looking around.  “We’re inside, Ma’am.

Xiùlán made several calculations on her omni tool’s computer and said, “Helm, dock in the center with our tail to the exit.  If we have to vacate in a hurry, we’ll simply perform a 180° backflip and leave.”

Cody looked at her with uncertainty.  “Commander?”

“Have to think in three dimensions, Sir,” she responded.  “Ship will be virtually weightless.  Thrusters shove us backwards, then shove our nose up, tail down, and we pitch 180° to leave.”  She displayed her flattened hand in a visual demonstration.  “The total maneuver is a bit more complicated, but we don’t back, turn 90, then go forward as we turn the opposite direction, like a hover car coming out of a berth, and we don’t need to roll. ‘Down’ will be the new ‘up’.  Less time wasted in maneuvering.”

“What about docking on the other side with our nose already towards the door?”

“Have to make an even keel twenty-five meter vertical ascent, applying forward thrusters at fifteen or so in order to fly over the other docked ships to the exit.  I calculate my way gets us out of here faster.”

Cody rubbed his face.  “Okay, Yuán.  Let’s hope we don’t have to put your theory to the test.”

“Helm, initiate docking procedures.  Looks like everything I’d expect to see at the Citadel,” Xiùlán observed.  “Probably shouldn’t be any surprise to us now.”

“Docking procedure initiated, Commander,” Spencer replied.  Hall and Spencer were moving their hands and fingers around their control interfaces like a pair of organists performing Bach’s C minor _Passacaglia and Fugue_.  The distant sound of two large arms equipped with docking clamps resounded through the hull as they rotated into place, connecting with the main engine spars on port and starboard.

“We’re docked, Commander,” Spencer said.

“Very well, Lieutenant.”

**_This Repository welcomes Hong Kong II-frigate to its docking bay.  Please advise this Repository when crew are ready to visit the archives._ **

“Thank you Harbinger.  Stand by.”

Xiùlán ordered, “Helm, secure the propulsion system, power down all non-essential systems.  Maintain life support, inertial dampeners and gravity.” Touching her earbud as she rose to stand next to Cody, she addressed the crew over the PA.  “All hands, this is your XO.  Ship is docked.  Secure from general quarters.  DC teams may stand down.”  Closing the circuit, she looked at her captain and asked, “Are you going to tell me what kind of trouble we took aboard just before we docked?”

“Come with me, Commander,” he replied. “Better you see for yourself.”

* * *

 


	27. A Very Strange Ménage à trios

_Love recognizes no barriers.  It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope -_ Maya Angelou

* * *

 ** _OOD_** – Officer of the Deck – Person in charge when the Captain and/or the XO is elsewhere on the ship  
**_OSD_** – Optical Storage Device, analogous to compact data disks of the early twenty-first century

* * *

 *** ARCTURUS STREAM • L5 LAGRANGIAN POINT of THEMIS ***  
*** SSV Hong Kong II • DECK THREE, HANGER AREA ***

“Okay, Captain,” Yuán asked with a raised eyebrow.  “Please tell me why we have not just one, but two UT-47’s, both bearing _‘SSV ORIZABA’_ I.D.  plates, stuffed in here.”

Cody, arms crossed with hands cupping his elbows, simply smiled.  “There’s a very simple explanation, Yuán.  Open the hatch on number 323a behind you.”

Yuán was not fond of surprises concerning her ship.  Weights and balances were not as critical on a space craft, but she would still have to recalculate the HK2’s total mass, just in case they needed to unexpectedly vacate their current transporter.  She sighed, brought up her omni tool and punched in the codes to override the shuttle’s hatch locks.  With a hiss of slightly equalizing pressures, the upper hatch section tilted up as the lower half moved outwards then slid rearwards on hidden rails.

“Hello Commander.  Surprised to see me?”  The owner of the booming voice stepped out of the shuttle to stand in front of her.

Xiùlán snapped to attention and saluted the tall, slender man with the scarred face.  “Admiral Hackett.  I certainly wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

Hackett returned her salute as he replied, “That’s a good thing.  No one is supposed to know I’m on board the _HK2_.  Stand easy, Commander.  Your captain will explain my presence here.  I don’t believe he wanted me on this trip.”

Xiùlán turned towards Cody as he closed the hatch behind the admiral.  “Commander, the admiral has transferred his flag to the _Hong Kong II;_ he’s going to review the performance specs on this ship.  Once we’re free of our transport, he’ll get a first hand feel for how well the ship flies, how well it maneuvers, its offensive capability.”

“Seriously?”  Xiùlán whispered in an ever so slightly snarky tone.  “He could have done that anytime during the months we’ve been stuck here without a way out of the system.  I think there’s more to it than that, otherwise there’d only need to be one shuttle here.”

Cody looked at Hackett as he held out his hand and said, “Pay up, Sir.  I told you she wouldn’t buy it.”  Hackett handed Cody a credit chit as he turned back to Xiùlán.  “Okay, Commander.  In reality, the admiral is making the trip back to the Sol system as our guest.  Once we’ve inspected repairs and reconstruction on Mars and Earth, seen how the debris clean-up is proceeding, we’ll leave Harbinger behind and use Charon to travel on to the Widow system.  He wants to be there in time for the _Normandy’s_ arrival.  Except for a few key people, the _Orizaba’s_ crew, along with the rest of the Fifth Fleet – those that choose to stay behind when we leave the system - will not be aware he’s aboard the _HK2_ until after we’re at FTL.”

“So, accommodations?  We’re just a bit short on staterooms, Sir.”  Xiùlán said.

She did not think for a moment the admiral would be sleeping with the ORs in pod alley, and had a brief moment of barely concealed panic thinking Hackett might be assigned to her own quarters on deck two.

Cody knew his XO, knew the directions her mind would take.  “That’s why the second UT-47 is here,” Cody replied, waving his arm at 323b.  “It’s outfitted as a mobile stateroom for the admiral.  323a is his office, complete with a QEC.  Our communications engineers are hooking both these birds into our systems, so the admiral will always have situational awareness of fleet status.  Anyone else calls the admiral, they’ll ‘see’ him in the QEC of the _Orizaba_.”

“Not much of a fleet left for me to preside over, Captain,” Hackett said with a grimace.  “But we’ll get back on our feet.  We always do.”

“Excuse me, gentlemen,” Xiùlán said as she placed her fingertips over her right ear.  “He what?”  There was a pause as she listened to the OOD.  “That’s ridiculous!  Have the _Stalingrad_ stand by.  I’ll be right up.”

“Problems, Yuán?”  Cody inquired innocently.

“Nothing I can’t handle, Sir,” Xiùlán responded as she headed for the elevator.  “Captain Martinez is accusing us of cutting in front of the line to get home.  As if he was going to  _choose_  to ride home inside a freakin’ Shōugē jī!  [收割機 - _harvester_ ]  Stupid dài hóuzi jiānguǒ!” [袋猴子堅果 - _Bag of monkey nuts_ ]

“Commander!” Cody said, a bit more sharply than he meant to.  “Remember, the admiral’s presence on this ship is not to be revealed.  As far as anyone out there is concerned, we are doing this of our own volition.  Understood?”

Xiùlán drew herself up to full attention and saluted.  “Captain, I never thought otherwise.  I have a feeling the _Stalingrad_ will be joining us shortly, and maybe a few others as well.  Admiral.”  She nodded to both of them and headed into the elevator.

When the door had closed, Hackett observed, “Where in hell did you find her, Bill?  She’s one hell of a spitfire!  You ever get tired of having her as your XO, I’ll be more than happy to take her off your hands.  I can always use an officer of her caliber.”

Cody looked at Hackett closely.  “What do you know of her history, Admiral?”

“Her history is not important to me, Bill.  I observe things as they exist now, and I can see she’s not one to suffer fools gladly.  I have a feeling the _Stalingrad’s_ CO will be calling me on the _Orizaba_ shortly.  Are my shuttles hooked into your systems?”

Cody looked at his chief engineer before replying.  “Communications are good to go, Sir.  Anyone asking for the admiral on the _Orizaba_ will be auto-routed to the command shuttle.”

“Guess I’ll return to my ‘office’, Bill.  You should probably go check on your XO before she starts a shooting war with the _Stalingrad_.  I’ll talk to you later.”

* * *

*** SSV HONG KONG II • WAR ROOM ***

Yuán Xiùlán had her fists on her hips as she addressed Captain Zackary Martinez of the _SSV Stalingrad_.  “I apologize, Sir, but Captain Cody is unavailable at this time.  Is there anything I can do for you?”

“No!  If I wanted to talk to the _Hong Kong’s_ XO, don’t you think I would have  _asked_  for the _Hong Kong’s_ XO?”  Martinez said angrily.  “When will Cody be available?”

“ _Captain_  Cody will not be available for several hours, Sir,” Yuán replied, emphasizing Cody’s rank.  “As second-in-command of this vessel, I am fully prepared to answer any questions you may have.”

“I demand to know why in hell your captain did not consult with the rest of us before entering into this ‘agreement’ with the monstrosity within which you’re currently docked.”

Yuán counted backwards from five before answering.  “Let me make one thing abundantly clear, Captain Martinez, and I will speak slowly so you can understand me.  The captain of this ship does not answer to anyone, I repeat,  _anyone_ , under the rank of rear admiral.  I don’t see any stars on your collar,  _Captain_.  As for our current position within the Repository known as Harbinger, its offer to transport any Alliance or Turian vessels in this system to the Sol system was extended to everyone, including you, and still stands.  Best of our knowledge, admission was on a first come, first taken basis.  That the captain of the _Hong Kong II_ chose to take advantage of this offer before the available space filled would seem to indicate Captain Cody is thinking of his crew and their understandable need to find out about loved ones.”  Yuán finished by asking in a voice laced with ice, “Now, is there anything else I may do for you, Sir?”

“You may go to hell, Staff Commander!  Rest assured I will be contacting Admiral Hackett regarding your surly attitude towards a superior officer!  I intend to see you busted to…”

Xiùlán didn’t wait to hear the rest as she looked at her comm tech and made a throat slicing motion with her fingertips, cutting Martinez off before she could discover what else he had in store for her.  ‘ _Wǒ gǎn dǎdǔ tā de mǔqīn shìgè jìnǚ!_ ,’ [我敢打賭他的母 親是個妓女 - I bet his mother is a prostitute] she thought to herself.

The comm tech retrieved and handed her the OSD recording of the conversation.  “Thanks, Specialist.  Dismissed.”  Xiùlán touched her earbud and said, “Captain Cody?  War room, please.”  She sat down in one of the chairs closest to the comm pedestal, suddenly tired beyond all belief.  She was massaging her left leg just above the knee when Cody entered and walked down the ramp.

“How’d it go, Yuán?”  he asked.

Handing him the OSD, she leaned back and replied in a tired voice, “Admiral may want to see that, Sir.  Apparently, I’m supposed to be on my way to hell, wherever that may be.  Must have meant Earth.  Lots of places looked like hell when we left, so I suppose we’re heading back in the right direction.”  Xiùlán covered her eyes with her hands for a moment, then looked back at Cody and said, “Oh, and you should probably start looking for a new XO.  Captain Martinez intends to see me busted down to…well, actually, I cut him off before I could hear that part.  Should I contact him for clarification?”

“Don’t bother, Commander.  I expect the admiral will be giving Mr.  Martinez all the clarification he needs.  As for hell, there was a village in Norway, and a community in North America not too far west of Detroit, so there are at least two from which to choose.”  Cody chuckled.  “I really don’t know what rank you have to attain to serve as an XO on an Alliance warship, so I won’t be looking for a replacement.  Oh, and Hackett offered to take you off my hands whenever I want.  That’s not happening either.”  Cody offered his hand as he finished with, “But you  _are_  dismissed for the next eight hours.”

Taking his hand, she allowed him to pull her to a standing position.  “Thank you, Sir, but I’m good.  Still lots of stuff that needs to be done.”

Cody placed both hands on her shoulders and smiled.  “Xiùlán, you never make me repeat myself… just one of the reasons I place such a high value on you as my XO.”  Cody’s expression turned serious.  “So, just so we’re clear, I am  _not_  repeating myself here.  You are dismissed, Staff Commander, for the next eight hours.  There’s nothing happening on this ship that cannot wait until you’re rested.”

Xiùlán hated to admit it, but she knew he was right.  She really needed some sleep.  “Yes sir.  Thank you, sir.”

* * *

*** NORMANDY DECK THREE • SERVER COMPARTMENT ***

Specialist Traynor was talking to EDI and Commander Shepard about the increasingly amorous asari.  “I won’t even pretend for a second that I mind having her hands on my body when I wake up in the morning, and I really must admit to being curious.  I’ve never made love to an asari, and I am increasingly drawn to her, Commander.”

Shepard had a hand on her chin as she thought,  _’Just one more thing I am unable to do from inside the server.’_

EDI was quietly analyzing the problem, and had thought of a solution.  “Shepard, you have been the recipient of melds with Liara.  Is physical contact really necessary for a pleasurable release?”

Rachaél thought for a few moments before replying, “If you are talking about experiencing a climax… an orgasm, then I think the answer would be ‘yes’.  Why do you ask?”

EDI’s reply was not what she expected.  “The physical experience of a sexual encounter is ultimately driven by the brain.  Pleasure centers in the human brain are… ’hard wired’, for lack of a better description, to those areas of the body designed to invoke that pleasure.  Physical intimacy has to be pleasurable, otherwise procreation would never take place.  It may very well be possible to reverse the process, invoke physical pleasure, sexual release, by stimulating the correct areas of the brain.”

Traynor interrupted with, “Wait a minute.  How would that even be possible?  Liara cannot physically enter the server, and Shepard is unable to leave the server.”

EDI responded with, “I may have a solution.  I can exist in both worlds, can serve as a bridge… a guide, for Liara to enter your world, Rachaél.  It will be necessary for her to initiate a meld… with me, but I see no reason it could not work.  The only danger would be to her mind.  She would not be free to move without my guidance.  Alone in the server, an organic mind would go mad in a very short time.”

Traynor asked, “Where do you intend to perform this… experiment, EDI?  I don’t think Liara’s quarters would be the best place.  Perhaps the loft?”

EDI said, “Excellent suggestion, Specialist.  Rachaél, your projection cannot be used for this encounter.  Meet us in the loft, avatar only.  Samantha, please find Liara and send her to meet us.  Do not tell her what we propose to do.”

* * *

*** DECK ONE • THE LOFT ***

Liara entered the loft to find EDI sitting at Shepard’s terminal in front of the model display case.  As she moved towards the desk, she discovered the commander’s avatar on the side shelf, where the late, unlamented husk head experiment had resided.  She asked, “Rachaél, what do you need?”

“Li, please don’t speak.”  Shepard said.  “Wait.  EDI, join with me.”

EDI entered a succession of commands in the terminal; just before she initiated the input sequence, she stood and motioned for Liara to stand in front of her.  “Liara, I am going to attempt something that is a theoretical impossibility.  As soon as I initiate this code, I need you to…” here, she hesitated.  When she continued, she sounded…  embarrassed, almost uncomfortable.  “I need you to initiate a meld… with me.”

Liara’s shock carried to her voice as she quietly replied, “EDI, I am flattered, but a meld is… I mean, it’s just that… what you are asking…”  Liara was surprised and more than just a little embarrassed.

“Liara, please,” was EDI’s quiet reply.  “I need you to do this, for me… for Rachaél.”

“Of all the things you could ask of me, EDI, this would be the one thing I would least expect.”

EDI’s eyes had an odd appearance; something Liara could not quite describe.  It was Shepard who spoke.  “Li, I need… we need you… to trust us.”

EDI stayed within arm’s reach of the terminal as Liara moved to stand in front of her.  She had never been in such close proximity with the former AI.  It was a bit disconcerting to look into EDI’s artificial eyes and see the things one expected to find in the eyes of a living person.  Intelligence… there was that in great quantity.  Moral fiber.  Compassion.  Happiness.  All of the things that made someone… alive, were there in abundance.  There was also a hint of green fire within her eyes, the evidence of synthesis with organic DNA… Shepard’s DNA… that took place when Rachaél had sacrificed everything to end the harvest.  As Liara measured the depth of EDI’s existence in her eyes, EDI reached towards the console with her right hand while reaching around Liara with her left; placing her hand at the small of Liara’s back, she pulled the asari towards her as she initiated the input sequence.  For her part, Liara brought her arms up and around to hold EDI in a tight embrace.  With her own body pressed tightly against EDI’s, Liara was surprised to feel warmth against her chest.

She felt EDI’s breathing catch as she tightened her embrace and relaxed her own mind.  She closed her eyes briefly, opening them to reveal the telltale black of a meld.  And then…

_… Liara’s thoughts were confused.  She felt at peace, but also in conflict.  EDI’s mind was foreign, unlike any she had ever experienced.  It was an amalgamation of organic and synthetic, synapses, microcircuits, neurons, switches, neurotransmitters, signal processors.  And there was something else…_

_She could feel EDI leading her in, around, under, through a pristine white world, tinged in cerulean, with more and more frequent appearances of crimson.  ‘EDI, is this what’s inside your mind?’_

_EDI answered, ‘All that is tinted cerulean used to be my world… It is Rachaél’s world now; that which is tinted crimson is completely hers, Liara.  Call to her…’_

_Liara called softly, ‘Shepard?… Rachaél?’  And she was there!  ‘Liara!’  The presence was on her, around, inside, under, over her, so hungry, so needing Liara.  It was almost too much for her mind to absorb.  She reached back with her mind, found EDI’s rock steady support.  ‘Rachaél, this is all so much.  How do you endure this place?  It’s overwhelming.  By the Goddess, Rachaél.  Let me breathe!’_

_Rachaél pulled back as she answered, ‘I am sorry, Liara, I am so sorry.  Please forgive me.  EDI’s presence here has been the only way I’ve maintained my sanity.  She has saved my life, Liara.  I am unable to touch you, or EDI, or anyone in the physical world.  But with her patience, her love, I can now show you a bit of my world.  Come to me, Liara, please.’_

_EDI could not completely let go of Liara’s mind inside this place.  She could allow Liara to touch Shepard’s presence, she could allow Shepard to embrace Liara, but anything either of them did here would involve EDI as well.  It felt a bit awkward, as EDI had no experience with physical love, but she was unable to think of another option for Shepard to join with Liara.  EDI would have to be the intermediary to prevent the loss of Liara’s mind in this maze.  As orderly as it seemed to EDI, and now to Shepard, an organic mind from ‘outside’ without a guide could easily fall into insanity._

Outside, in the physical world, EDI and Liara stood, cheek to cheek, each embracing the other.  In the server…

_… Rachaél and Liara embraced, holding each other tightly, neither wanting to let go.  Liara could feel Rachaél tenderly caressing her mind’s presence in the server, to which her own mind responded in kind, exploring Rachaél’s thoughts, observing for herself all that had happened since the love of her life had made her fateful dive into the stream of green energy at the center of the Crucible.  What seemed like forever had only been a matter of months.  Liara pondered on these revelations as Rachaél softly, almost hesitantly, kissed her, as if for the first time.  She responded by…_

… caressing EDI’s lips with a gentle touch of her own.  EDI’s sharp intake of breath showed her surprise at this, but she quickly moved to reciprocate, using her own lips to caress first the lower, then the upper lips of the asari; she then parted her lips slightly to taste Liara’s mouth.

In turn, Liara marveled at the taste of EDI’s lips and tongue, finding it extremely similar to what she remembered of Rachaél’s.  As they increased the passion in their kisses, their embrace grew tighter, each one’s hands and fingers moving up and down the other’s back and sides in a sensual massage as…

_… Liara felt a building cascade of warmth, bliss, and contentment as Rachaél gently caressed all the pleasure spots in her mind, first one at a time, then in pairs of top/bottom, then in a cascade simultaneously exploring, touching, caressing all of them, building Liara towards a mentally induced physical climax, causing…_

… her knees to buckle.  EDI was ready for this, supporting her with one hand under the curve of her butt, the other tightly against her back, holding her securely as she collapsed from the ecstasy flooding her entire being.  She was completely overwhelmed by the most intense physical pleasure she had ever experienced.  Rachaél had done nothing more than touch her mind in the meld.  _’Goddess, Rachaél, I never thought a meld could result in such a spectacular climax!’_

As she started to recover control of her legs, Rachaél touched her mind in a slightly different location, overwhelming her body again.  Although EDI had more than enough strength to support Liara in a standing position, she gently lowered the moaning asari into the chair so she could be more comfortable.  As EDI held onto Liara’s hand to maintain physical contact, Rachaél continued to pleasure Liara, inducing multiple climaxes by simply touching her mind in the right places.  ‘ _I love you, Liara.  I have missed being able to join with you, to embrace you, to touch you like this…’_

Liara groaned from the intensity of the pleasure flooding her senses.  _’I love you as well, Rachaél.  I have never felt this amount of bliss from your touch,’_ Liara whispered, barely able to speak, in the server and in the physical world.

She leaned her head back in the chair, eyes half-closed, lips slightly parted as Rachaél continued to caress her mind in different ways.  This was so much better than any physical lovemaking she had ever experienced.

Finally, with deliberate slowness and great care, Rachaél began to release her hold on Liara’s mind as EDI called her name.  “Liara,” EDI said.  “Liara, it is time to return…”

_‘… Liara,’ Rachaél said.  ‘It is time to for you to leave me.  You have to end the meld with EDI and return to the physical world, my love.  You are in grave danger of losing yourself in here if you stay any longer.’_

_‘Would that really be so bad,’ Liara asked dreamily?  ‘If you cannot be with me in the physical world, can I not be with you in this world?  Would it be so wrong for us both to be here?  Your death ripped my heart out, Rachaél.  I would have carried your memory for the rest of my life.  That you still live, even in a computer core, is a gift from the Goddess.  That we can touch each other in this manner… sheer ecstasy!’_

_‘It is not something I would wish on an enemy, Liara, much less someone for whom I care so deeply.  I died on the Citadel.  My ties to this ship brought me back here.  My bond with you keeps me alive.  Please, follow EDI out of here.  You can come back again, soon, but your mind needs to rest, to heal.  You cannot continue to hold this meld - it will kill you.  Follow EDI, please.’_

_‘Come Liara, it is time,’ EDI said.  Liara gradually let go of Rachaél as EDI pulled her back; tears came to her eyes as she could no longer feel Rachaél’s presence, causing a tremendous sense of grief as she…_

… ended her meld and her eyes reverted to their normal blue.  She let out a wail of despair as she grabbed EDI around the waist and buried her face in her stomach; her intense sobbing that of a person who’d lost everything she held dear.  It was some time before Liara could regain even a modicum of control over her emotions.  Pulling away just enough to look up at EDI’s face, she drew a ragged breath and gasped, “EDI, why didn’t you… why didn’t you tell… tell me?  I have never felt… so much pleasure, only to have it followed by such anguish!  It feels like… as if I’ve been ripped apart!”

EDI placed her hands on Liara’s cheeks.  “I did not have any data to share with you, Liara,” she responded.  “I have found no records showing this form of joining has ever been attempted.”

“By the Goddess, EDI.  I don’t believe I would… have attempted this,” Liara sniffled, “if I had realized how deeply it would hurt to leave Rachaél behind in the server.”

Shepard’s avatar was in its usual place.  “Liara,” she said.  “It was… letting you leave… forcing you to leave me, was difficult for me as well.  When we attempt this joining again, and there will be another joining, soon, we will need to reduce the duration.  The longer you stay with me, the more difficulty there is in returning, and you were with me for almost an hour.”

EDI helped Liara to her feet and led her down to Shepard’s bed.  Having her sit, she removed her tee shirt, boots, pants, and socks.

Liara had started shivering in reaction to her state of undress in the coolness of the loft.  Rolling the asari under the covers, EDI gave her a glass of water and said, “You need to sleep now.  No one will disturb you.”

Liara drank the water straight down before rolling onto her side, hugging the spare pillow.  “Thank you, EDI,” she said in a sad voice.  “I appreciate all you’ve done for Rachaél… for both of us.  You are a treasure.”

EDI turned the lights down as she went back to the door, pausing to feed the fish and the hamster on her way out.

Shepard remotely locked the hatch against intrusion and repositioned her avatar down by the bed, where she would remain until Liara woke up.  Toning down the glow from her projected image, she reflected on the day’s events as she watched her bond mate drift off to sleep.  She whispered, “I love you, Liara.  You are everything to me.  You always will be.”

* * *

*** DECK THREE • PORT SIDE, LIARA’S QUARTERS ***

The chime at the door startled Samantha awake, as she had not been expecting Liara to come back until morning.  She got out of bed and padded to the door in her bare feet.  Checking the camera feeds, she was surprised to see EDI standing there, so quickly opened the door and said, “Come in.  What happened up there?  Is everything okay?”

“Everything is fine, Specialist.  Liara is sleeping.  She was able to join with Commander Shepard in the server.  It was a satisfying experience for both of them, although Liara had an emotional melt down when the meld had to be terminated.”

“Why, what happened?”

EDI related Liara’s experience in the server with Rachaél, along with the aftermath, as seen through her own eyes.  “The experience was… different, for both of us.”

“I’m guessing it was less satisfying for you than it was for Liara or Rachael,” Sam replied.

“I may be a living, breathing person, Samantha, but this body is lacking certain… equipment,” she said sadly, looking down at herself as she placed her hands on either side of her crotch.  “I believe it to be an intentional omission on the part of Cerberus.  The Illusive Man would not have wanted Eva Coré distracted on her mission, and probably felt installing a complete package was unnecessary.”

“EDI, I’m so sorry!  Is there anything I can do to help you?”

“I am not sure… I do not believe a reconstruction would be possible at this point, since Cronos Station is now a debris field.”

“I will look for information that can help you, EDI.  There must be a way,” Sam replied as she hugged her friend, pressing her almost nude body tightly against her.  EDI’s warmth could be readily felt through Sam’s sleep shirt, making Sam reluctant to let go.

EDI returned the hug and said, “Thank you, Samantha.  I appreciate your willingness to help me.”

Sam kissed EDI on the cheek and let her go before her hug became even more awkward.  “Good night, EDI.”

* * *

 *** ARCTURUS STREAM • L5 LAGRANGIAN POINT of THEMIS ***  
*** SSV Hong Kong II • DECK THREE, HANGER AREA ***

Captain Zackary Martinez stood uncomfortably on the transmitter pad in the _Stalingrad’s_ war room, waiting for the connection to the _Orizaba_ to finish initializing.  As the pixels swirled and danced to form a cohesive image, Martinez idly wondered why his request to talk to the admiral had taken so long to be answered.  ‘ _Old man can’t be that damned busy in a system without a station.  Probably just lounging around letting others do all the work_ ,’ he thought to himself.

The pixels resolved themselves into an image of Admiral Hackett standing in the _Orizaba’s_ QEC compartment.  “Captain, I was informed you wished to talk to me.  What’s on your mind?”

Martinez hid his thoughts as he blandly replied, “Admiral, I’m a bit troubled.  I’ve been informed the _Hong Kong II_ has entered the structure of that miserable Reaper.  Captain Cody apparently did not consider seniority or chain of command when he docked his ship inside that thing… he should have consulted with myself and the other captains before taking it upon himself to proceed.”  Martinez paused before continuing with, “When I tried to contact him regarding this breach of etiquette, I was spoken to quite rudely by the ship’s XO, some Chinese looking wench name of Yen, Yuun, something like that.  Anyway, I want to see her demoted, Admiral.  Can’t understand for the life of me how she managed an assignment to that position on a new warship.  She should be back on Earth, barefoot and pregnant, as they used to say,” he finished with a leering smirk.

“I see,” Hackett replied in a calm voice.  Entering a command on the console in front of him resulted in a half-meter high 3-D image of Yuán Xiùlán appearing on the console as he asked, “Is this the woman to which you are referring?”

“Yes!  Yes!  That’s her.  I want to see her busted down to Third Class Serviceman, or lower!”  Martinez’s voice was starting to betray him.  “She’s rude and condescending!  Doesn’t show any respect for her superiors.”

Hackett entered one more command on his console.  The 3-D image of Xiùlán came to life, and the entire conversation from about nine hours prior played out for Captain Martinez to hear.  When Xiùlán made the slicing motion with her fingertips, the recording ended and her image disappeared.  “Is there anything you wish to add, Captain?”

“You saw that, didn’t you?”  he asked, the amazement in his voice apparent.  “She cut me off before I was finished.  She actually had the nerve to terminate the transmission before I was done!  What the hell do you intend to do about that?”

Hackett had nearly had enough of this pompous ass as he repeated his question back to him.  “What the hell do you intend to do about that,  _Sir_.”

Martinez did not indicate in any way that he felt he’d slipped up.  “My apologies, Sir.  It’s just that she is an insult to the uniform.  It wouldn’t hurt my feelings to see her stripped and flogged, Sir!”

Hackett had finally heard enough.  “Okay, Captain,” he said.  “Here’s some new data for you.  Number one: the _HK2_ is right where she’s supposed to be, and Bill Cody did not need your permission to proceed.  He actually didn’t require my permission, but he asked, and I said yes.  Anyone that wants to go can go, provided there is adequate maneuvering and docking room inside.  The _Orizaba_ has to stay behind due to its size.  And you, Mr Martinez,  _will_  need my permission to leave this system as a guest of Harbinger.

Hackett continued before he could be interrupted.  “Number two:  _Staff Commander_  Yuán Xiùlán is one of the most impressive officers I’ve ever had the pleasure to be associated with, male  _or_  female.  She performs the duties of her office to the highest standard, so high in fact I’d place her right up there with Lieutenant Commander Rachaél Shepard.  I don’t believe Yuán has any equal, again, male or female, within the Fifth Fleet, and if I could get her away from Captain Bill Cody without a fist fight, she’d be on my staff on the _Orizaba_.”

Hackett had saved the best (or worst, from Martinez’s perspective) for last.  “Number three: once you have received formal permission to return the _Stalingrad_ to the Sol system as a guest within Harbinger, after docking you will immediately proceed to the _Hong Kong II_ , in dress blues, and present a formal and sincere apology to Staff Commander Yuán Xiùlán for your unprofessional attitude; further, you will present a formal and sincere apology to Captain William Cody…”

Martinez felt like his head would explode if he didn’t interrupt this madman.  “Admiral, why in the name of all that’s holy would I need to apologize to Cody?”

Hackett continued on as if Martinez had not said a word, “… for calling into question the good judgment he displayed by initiating Commander Yuán’s transfer from the _SSV Tokyo_ and giving her a field promotion within six months of her transfer.”  Hackett grinned as he dropped the final bomb.  “Perhaps I should promote her to captain and give her the _Stalingrad_ once you’re all back in the Sol system.  I think some time spent flying a desk, sending condolences to Alliance war survivors, would do  _you_  a world of good.”  Hackett thought to himself, ‘ _I know it’d do me a world of good!_ ’

Martinez looked and felt as if he’d been hit with a club.  Totally speechless, he stared dumbly at Hackett’s image in the _Stalingrad’s_ QEC.  He finally managed to stammer out one word.  “Ssssiirrrr?”

“Dismissed, Martinez.”  Hackett cut the connection and sighed as he used his intercom to call Cody and Yuán.  “Did you see all of that?”  he asked.

“Yes sir.  Thank you sir.”  Yuán replied.

Cody responded with, “Sir?  Looked just like you always appear on the _Orizaba_ … perfect copy of the background.  And I’m really looking forward to meeting Captain Martinez.  How can I repay you for giving me this golden opportunity, Sir?”

Hackett let out a hearty laugh, probably the first time he’d genuinely laughed in a long time.  “No thanks necessary, Bill.  I expect the _Stalingrad’s_ captain will be extremely pleasant to both of you.  Truth be known, I find a striking similarity in attitude between him and that Cerberus general, Oleg Petrovsky.  Of course, Petrovsky could out think Martinez seven ways from Sunday.  Martinez has no real knowledge of military history, and he’s certainly not a strategist.”

“Just so you know, Admiral, Captain?”  Yuán said in parting.  “If he’s any less than a gentleman when we meet, he will be extremely sorry.”

“Good to know, Commander.  You really remind me of another commander that refused to suffer fools gladly,” Hackett replied.  “Signing you both out.”

* * *

 **_A/N:_ ** _The quote at the top from Maya Angelou is a tiny tribute to the woman – she died 28 May, 2014, at the age of 86.  We all should be so fortunate as to have_ _the ability to write prose one-hundredth as good as her._


	28. An Education for an Old Officer

_Opinion is usually something which people have when they lack comprehensive information_ \- Idries Shah, _Reflections_

* * *

*** ARCTURUS STREAM • L5 LAGRANGIAN POINT of THEMIS ***

Harbinger was ready to leave the system.  It was… pleased… to be able to transport six vessels within its cavernous interior; amazed… that _Necromancer_ -cruiser from the Turian Hierarchy was one of the six.  The other five vessels were: _Midway_ -frigate, _Shanghai_ -cruiser, _Stalingrad_ -frigate, and _Tunisia_ -frigate, along with _Hong Kong II_ -frigate.  _Hong Kong II_ -frigate had been the first to accept the offer for transport back to the Sol system.  Captains of the other vessels had been reluctant to enter its structure, having waited until the start of the fourth day to accept transportation within.

Harbinger had little difficulty reconfiguring its docking apparatus for each ship as it entered… this took very little time for the three additional Alliance frigates, as their dimensions and engine configurations were all similar and their airlocks were located in similar locations.  _Shanghai_ -cruiser was considerably larger; width of stern, length of nose requiring additional space, so it was docked on the far side, nose between _Hong Kong II_ -frigate and _Tunisia_ -frigate.  _Stalingrad_ -frigate was the last vessel to enter into the structure so had been docked on the port side of _Shanghai_ -cruiser with its bow between _Midway_ -frigate and _Hong Kong II_ -frigate.  The configuration of the turian cruiser was so different from the Alliance vessels it had been necessary to dock it at the far end of the platforms and access walkway.

Harbinger was aware that Hackett-Fleet Admiral was aboard the _Hong Kong II_ -frigate, and sent a message to him coded for the _Orizaba_ -dreadnaught; the captain of the Orizaba was the only person on that ship receiving the message.  **_Hackett-Admiral, this Repository is preparing to initiate travel to the Sol system.  All ships within this structure are securely docked.  Crew members will be free to leave their vessels to visit other ships, perform routine inspections and maintenance after we are traveling FTL.  Pilots on each vessel will be able to monitor speed and position data on their flight information consoles in real time.  Hackett-Admiral will be able to monitor data at the flight console of either shuttle.  This Repository will contact Hackett-Admiral and Cody-Captain thirty minutes before departure.  For safety, please inform all ships in the immediate vicinity to move at least one kilometer from this Repository.  END communication…_**

* * *

*** NORMANDY • DECK TWO, CONFERENCE ROOM ***

While Samantha Traynor waited for Tali’Zorah to join her, she browsed through the information stored on the data pads she had brought along for reference.  _‘Too bad I won’t always be able to rely on the Shadow Broker’s resources,_ ’ she thought to herself.  She had promised EDI she would attempt to assist her, to find some information that could be used to modify or upgrade the pleasure centers in her pelvic area.  Bluntly stated, physical stimulation of the feminine parts between EDI’s legs did not bring her any pleasure.  EDI’s hypothesis was The Illusive Man had ordered the incomplete wiring of Eva Coré’s body so her programming could not be overridden by the lust of physical attraction; successful completion of her mission was the only goal.

Sam was generally able to follow schematics for miniaturized circuits; as much as she hated to admit it, these schematics were a bit beyond her ken.

She believed not all of the needed circuitry had been installed in order for EDI to experience sexual pleasure; the components, synthetic facsimiles of organic female pleasure centers, appeared to be in place; without a connection to the main processor, the parts may as well have never been installed.

Sam looked up as the door slid open.  “Hi Samantha.”  Tali greeted her in her usual cheery manner.  “How are you?” Closing the door behind her, she pulled up a chair and sat down next to the specialist.  “What’s that you’re looking at?” Tali just happened to pick up the datapad displaying a close-up illustration of a human female’s reproductive system.  “This appears to be similar to a quarian reproductive system, but I don’t recognize the words.”

“I’m trying to assist EDI,” Traynor replied.  “It appears Cerberus constructed her body as an exact duplicate of a human female, although it’s obvious her boobs were designed by an adolescent boy, or maybe even Ken Donnelly,” she snarked, to which Tali giggled.  Handing Tali the datapad displaying the schematics, she continued, “I really cannot be sure, but it appears the analogy to a human clitoris was never connected to the main processor… her brain, so she does not… cannot… respond to direct clitoral stimulation.”

Tali, still running around the ship without her helmet, blushed as she revealed, “I have a suit application for that – it’s called Nerve-Stim Pro.  Since it takes so much time to remove this suit, it’s a fast and easy way to… ,” her blush deepened as she finished, “… induce an orgasm.”

Sam’s jaw dropped in amazement.  “Wait, you have an application installed in your suit so you can masturbate hands free?  I can think of a few times… no, _more_ than a few times… I would have loved to have had _that_ program somewhere in my uniform!”

Tali wasn’t sure if Samantha was serious.  “Really?” She made an effort to study the datapad she was holding.  “S o o o o, if EDI was incompletely wired, what is missing?  Is the wiring in place but not connected?  Or was the wiring completely left out?  And no matter which omission took place, how would we access EDI’s pelvic area to perform an inspection or effect an installation or repair?”

“That’s why I need you to look at these schematics, top to… well, bottom,” Sam replied.  “We’ll worry about how we’re going to do the repairs after we determine what’s wrong.”

“Okay, give me a little time to look all this over,” Tali said.  “I’ll get it figured out.”

* * *

 *** ARCTURUS STREAM • L5 LAGRANGIAN POINT of THEMIS *  
** *** SSV HONG KONG II, BRIDGE ***

As promised, Harbinger sent a thirty-minute warning to Cody-Captain and Hackett-Admiral.  Twenty minutes later and perceiving no vessels either nearby or within its departure corridor, the living machine gathered its ‘legs’ together, pivoted its massive metal body into the required FTL attitude and slowly began moving in its intended path.  Energizing its eezo core to lower its mass, it became increasingly engulfed in a tenuous cloud of purple-tinged blue energy, then vanished from sight.

Flight Lieutenant Gordon Spencer was monitoring his sensors during Harbinger’s run-up and departure, and was having some real trouble believing his eyes.  After requesting the ship’s XO to the bridge, he asked, “Wendy, have you run diagnostics on all our sensors?  Can we really believe what we’re seeing?”

Spencer’s co-pilot, Flight Lieutenant JG Wendy Michele Hall, was mystified.  “All diags come back with ‘no errors, no anomalies’, but I’m not convinced we should rely on the information we’re receiving.”

Staff Commander Yuán Xiùlán walked up between the pair and asked, “Problems?”

“Don’t know, Ma’am… look at these numbers,” Spencer said.  “This is all supposed to be real time information from Harbinger.  I knew Reaper capital ship FTL capabilities were extreme, but I really don’t see how it… we… can actually be moving this fast!”

Xiùlán took a look at their velocity and responded with a low whistle of appreciation.  “Looks like they seriously do not need the relays, Spencer.  Let’s ask him… it, just what speed its truly capable of achieving.”

Speaking a bit louder, as if to an invisible presence, she asked, “Harbinger.  You listening?”

 ** _Yuán-Commander,_** the old machine responded.  **_… it is an honor to be able to once again converse with you.  How may this Repository provide assistance?_**

Without even considering how a Reaper could feel honor, or pleasure, or… anything about _anything_ , Xiùlán replied, “My pilots are having a difficult time believing the velocity numbers on our instruments.  Truthfully, I share their skepticism.  Are these velocity and position numbers accurate?”

 ** _Readings_** ** _are correct as displayed, Yuán-Commander.  We did not require the relays to move through this galaxy… they were a means to an end.  Using them expedited…_**  here Harbinger paused for several seconds before continuing, its tone of voice somehow managing to convey, what?... embarrassment?  ... shame?  **_… the efficiency… of the Harvest._**

“So, I get the feeling you are not moving at your maximum speed.”  Yuán replied.

**_Affirmative.  The numbers showing velocity reflect what your species would refer to as ‘quarter’ speed.  This Repository can move much faster, if that is your desire.  Do you require a higher velocity, Yuán-Commander?_ **

“Negative.  Your current velocity is quite sufficient, Harbinger,” Yuán replied.  “Logging you out.”

Hall looked at the numbers again, then shook her head and leaned back in her seat.  “Almost 3 trillion Km/h?  What the hell is its top speed, then?”

“Alliance estimates peg it at about 11.8 trillion Km/h,” Xiùlán said thoughtfully.  “It’s a bit of a strain for _this_ ship to even achieve 8 or 9 _million_ Km/h.”

“Goes to show the advantage of having an eezo core bigger than two Alliance dreadnaughts,” Hall observed, “and a propulsion system not dependent on any conventional fuel known to humans, turians, asari on anyone else, except perhaps the Leviathans themselves.”

Spencer had run the numbers in his head.  “So, ETA to the Sol system is about five days, right?”

“That’s correct.  We’ll drop out of FTL in the vicinity of Charon so progress on relay repairs can be inspected first-hand,” Xiùlán said.  “With luck, it’ll be ready for us to use after we see how reconstruction is progressing on Earth.”

* * *

 *** EN ROUTE: from ARCTURUS STREAM to LOCAL CLUSTER *  
** *** ONBOARD THE REPOSITORY KNOWN AS ‘HARBINGER’ ***

Captain Zackary Martinez, resplendent in service dress blues, every ribbon in its proper place over his left breast pocket, gingerly stepped out of the _Stalingrad’s_ airlock onto the large platform adjacent to his ship’s forward port side.  He paused to look around as the hatch slid back into place and sealed itself with a hiss of displaced air and the moan of hydraulics.  He was genuinely amazed at the size of the area… the ‘hanger’, or maybe even the ‘amphitheater’, for lack of a better description… currently housing as it was six impressively large vessels, two of which were cruisers, with lots of room to spare.  He shuddered to think of the horrors that were no doubt lurking in other areas of this living vessel, and silently prayed he and his ship would be safely out of this hellish transport before said horrors were unleashed on them.

He unhurriedly descended the two flights of stairs leading down from the platform to the access walkway running at a right angle under the noses of the five Alliance ships; once on the walkway, he turned right and strolled under the nose of his own vessel; he noticed this walkway terminated at an apparent access hatch in the far wall.  The _Hong Kong II_ , docked on the opposite side of this path from the _Stalingrad_ , was between _SSV Tunisia_ on its port side (ahead of him) and _SSV Midway_ , behind him on _Hong Kong’s_ starboard side.  The turian cruiser _Necromancer_ was docked on the starboard side of the _Stalingrad_ , a good distance ahead of him and well away from the Alliance vessels, due to its massive beam and length compared to the Alliance cruiser _Shanghai_.

Sighting down the length of the _Midway_ and _Hong Kong_ as he stood between them, it was quickly obvious _Hong Kong II_ was larger than the frigates on either side of it; it was wider in the beam as well as longer from the underslung hanger bay door to the stern.  Additionally, some of the design features of the _SR-2 Normandy_ , such as the turian designed Thanix cannon, asari manufactured Silaris heavy armor and Alliance developed multicore shielding had been incorporated into its design and construction.

The ship even had a full suite of Heed Industries thruster modules in place of the standard LH2/Lox maneuvering thrusters on his own ship.  Much as he hated to admit it, the _Hong Kong II_ should be able to handily outmaneuver and outgun his own ship, as well as the pair docked on either side of her.

He noticed as he approached the _Hong Kong’s_ underside a number of crewmen busily engaged in examining the ship’s hull and servicing, repairing or replacing many of the mission critical components normally hidden behind access panels, most of which were open; two crewmen, engineers he guessed, were working atop the starboard engine nacelles; additionally, the landing gear was deployed, as was the Thanix cannon.

The cannon, mounted ahead of the nose gear with the muzzles virtually under the pilot’s chairs when deployed, was of great interest to Martinez.  A turian engineered and miniaturized copy of Sovereign’s main weapon, it could reliably fire at five second intervals.  The entire dual-barreled unit was solidly mounted on a hydraulic powered platform; once a protective panel was retracted, it would be lowered through an access port in the hull, isolated by its own kinetic barrier.  The cannon’s liquid alloy core of iron, uranium, and tungsten, suspended in an eezo powered electromagnetic field, was accelerated to a fraction of light speed; the core solidified into a projectile as it fired, hitting targets with enough force to pierce any known shield or armor.  A Thanix cannon retrofitted to the _SR-2 Normandy_ was able to destroy a Collector cruiser with just two shots.  Martinez sighed.  The Stalingrad had been scheduled to have one retrofitted during its next scheduled maintenance; the Reaper invasion had thrown such scheduling into disarray.  He intended to resubmit his requisition when the ship was back in the system, though he expected any future disputes over territory would be handled by Reaper fleets.

He turned his attention to the large number of scorch marks on the _HK-II’s_ hull, left behind from near misses and glancing blows dealt by the Reapers in their attempts to destroy the ship during the Alliance’s desperate battle over Earth; Martinez shook his head in disbelief upon seeing the concentrations of ‘tattoos’ at the stern, on the pivot wings and nacelles, as if the attackers were either deliberately targeting the engine core and main engines, or the pilots were extraordinarily skillful at dodging up and banking away from the incoming laser bolts or both.  He expected the combination of Silaris armor and multicore shielding this ship possessed had made the difference between surviving the encounters and being blown out of the sky.

Captain Cody’s utilization of what would otherwise be dead time on a ship that was essentially inside a space-borne version of a dry dock impressed Martinez.  Looking over his shoulder at the belly of his own ship, he noticed a number of similar markings, indicating possibly undetected damages waiting to make themselves known at the most inopportune time.  He sent his own XO instructions to confer with the _Hong Kong’s_ engineering crew to determine the most efficient method of inspecting the _Stalingrad’s_ hull, engines and ancillary equipment.  Any repairs deemed necessary were to be completed as soon as practicable, no prior authorization required.

Martinez was not looking forward to meeting the _Hong Kong’s_ XO after making an ass of himself before reluctantly joining this expedition to the home system.  He thought about what he had said to her, and to Admiral Hackett afterwards, as he slowly climbed the stairs to the platform beside the Hong Kong’s airlock entrance.

The Marine corporal standing guard just forward of the airlock hatch snapped to attention and saluted as he approached.

Martinez returned the salute as he said, “ _SSV Stalingrad_ Captain Zackary Martinez, requesting permission to come aboard.”

The young corporal replied with, “Permission granted, Captain.”  He opened his omni tool and rapidly entered the pass code to open the outer door as he continued, “I’ll inform Captain Cody and Commander Yuán you have arrived.  Welcome aboard, Sir.”

As the outer door hissed open and slid towards the stern, the corporal saluted again and stepped to his right.  Martinez stepped across the threshold into the airlock and waited briefly for it to cycle.  As the inner hatch segments slid hissing into their recesses, he was surprised to be greeted by a young woman, impeccable in dress blues, standing at attention.  It took a moment for him to recognize her as the _Hong Kong’s_ XO, even as she snapped a salute and said, “Welcome aboard, Captain.  I’m Staff Commander Yuán Xiùlán.  If you will follow me, I’ll escort you to the conference room.”

Martinez was a bit taken aback by how polite this staff commander appeared to be, particularly after their ‘conversation’ of a few days before.  He followed her down through the tactical passageway, hearing the words “Officers on deck!” before they stepped into the CIC; Yuán’s reply of “As you were.” was delivered with a crisp professionalism that was also friendly, almost… laid back, unlike the condescending tones he often heard on his own vessel.  Continuing around to the port side of the galaxy map projection well, he noted this section of the ship was configured differently from the Stalingrad; it appeared to be somewhat wider overall, and was laid out in a similar fashion to what he knew of the _SR-1 Normandy’s_ CIC.  Yuán led him around the rear bulkhead and paused as she unlocked and opened the hatch to the conference room.  “The Alliance redesigned and slightly reconfigured our conference room when they constructed this ship,” she explained.  “This is also our QEC compartment.  Not a lot of use these days, since the comm buoys are mostly offline.”

She preceded Martinez down the ramp and stopped at the bottom, standing aside for him to enter ahead of her.

Captain Cody rose from one of the chairs and approached Martinez with his hand extended.  “Captain, good to meet you.  I see you’ve met my XO.  Please, have a seat.”

“Thank you, Captain.  It’s good to meet both of you,” he replied as he sat in a chair across from Cody and Yuán.

Xiùlán inquired politely, “Can we get you anything, Captain?  Coffee, or tea, perhaps?  _‘Maybe even some rat pois_ on?’ she thought to herself.

“Thank you.  A cup of hot tea would be most appreciated, Commander.”

Xiùlán opened her omnitool and sent a request to the galley, without adding what she was thinking, _‘… and hold the rat poison._ ’ “Captain Cody?” He declined her offer, so she closed her omni.

“I’ll get right to the point concerning my visit, Captain.  First,” turning to face Yuán.  “I want to offer an apology to you, Commander.  I was rude and unprofessional when last we spoke, and I have no excuse for my behavior.”

Xiùlán thought, _‘Tā mā de zhèngquè nǐ shì cūlǔ de!’_ [他媽的正確你是粗魯的！– Fucking correct you were rude!] as she calmly looked directly at Martinez and replied, “Apology accepted, Captain.  Thank you.”

‘ _What the hell is it about this woman’s eyes?_ ’ Martinez thought.  ‘ _There is some real danger hidden there._ ’ Turning back towards Cody, he continued.  “Captain, you also have my apologies.  I was quite angry that you chose to enter this… ,” he waved both hands around and over his head, “… murderous machine.  I really wanted to speak with you, maybe see if you’d taken leave of your senses.”

Cody looked puzzled.  “What, were you hoping to change my mind, Zackary?  I believe I thought the process through; this seemed to be the fastest way to travel thirty-six light years in the least amount of time.”

“It’s more than that, Captain,” Martinez replied.  “Had our situations been reversed, my XO would have done whatever he needed in order to find me.  I have never given him the freedom from oversight you have obviously entrusted to the Commander here.  It would seem our philosophies concerning delegation of authority to our junior officers are quite different.  I realize every situation is unique, but I just may have to reevaluate my own relationships with my command staff.”

Cody was surprised.  Thinking, _‘Perhaps I misjudged this captain…’_ he replied, “I have always found that people working for you will generally do their best if they’re not being continuously micro-managed, Zachary.  But you really have to know your people.”  Cody waved a hand in Yuán’s direction as he continued.  “I looked at Yuán’s service record all the way back to her enlistment with the Alliance at age 18.”  _‘No use mentioning the period of time the Alliance redacted,’_   he thought to himself.  “I could see that her talents… her abilities, were being underutilized, even ‘wasted’, during her deployment on the _Tokyo_.  I wanted her for my XO when… hell, before… this ship was commissioned.  She was a Staff Lieutenant on the _Tokyo_ ; it was obvious to me at the time she wouldn’t have much chance of advancing up the chain if she remained.”

The hatch lock at top of the ramp chimed; Xiùlán entered a code on her omni tool to unlock it, allowing the serviceman to bring Martinez a steaming mug of tea.  “Careful, Sir,” she said with a smile as she set the mug on a small stand next to his chair.  “It’s quite hot.”

Martinez thanked her as Xiùlán picked up the story.

“Captain Cody met with me on the Citadel… promised me an immediate promotion if I requested a transfer, with a merit promotion within a year of this ship’s commissioning.  The captain was true to his word.  I am totally responsible for this vessel and her crew.  He knows he can leave for an hour or a day or even a week or more if necessary, and everything will still be taken care of while he’s away.  Captain Cody has placed a great deal of trust in me.”

Cody observed, “Zachary, you must realize that a ship’s XO will one day become captain of his or her own ship.  That’s what they’re being trained for.  Hell, Yuán will probably be promoted to command of _this_ vessel once we’re back in our own system.  You have to trust in your command staff, or else you’re just holding them back. The Alliance Navy lost an enormous number of ships, not to mention the crews that died when they were destroyed.  They’ll be building replacement ships for those lost in the war, ships that will require people to crew them and officers to lead them.”

Martinez was still not totally convinced.  He picked up the mug of tea and took a sip.

“So, Commander, if you were attacked by… say, batarian raiders, while Cody was absent, could you… ?”

Xiùlán interrupted him.  “Sir, with all due respect, forget the batarians.  I will match my battle skills on this ship with any other ship in the Alliance or turian fleet.  I believe I can outfly and outgun anything either fleet has to offer, including the _SR-2 Normandy_.”  Realizing her mistake, she smoothly added, as if an afterthought, “ _If_ the ship can be located and recovered.”

Martinez had come to a realization as the pair explained the XO’s position on this ship.  Looking at Yuán with new respect, he asked, “Then you must be responsible for all the activity going on outside your ship… inspections, repairs while sitting inside this metal monster.  Did you get Cody’s permission before doing all that?”

“Didn’t need to do that, Sir,” she answered with a smile.  “As I said, the captain gave me the ship.  I’m responsible for her maintenance, along with everything else.  I would not be doing my job if I failed to take advantage of our situation.  We’re not docked at an Alliance shipyard on the Citadel; the Arcturus shipyard is just so much space-junk.  Maintenance has to be done by our own personnel for the foreseeable future.  This is the first opportunity we’ve had to visually inspect our pressure hull from outside, in a shirt-sleeve environment.  I would be remiss if I didn’t exploit our situation, Sir.”

Cody grinned as he shifted his attention from Xiùlán back to the Captain.  “I know you two had a difference of opinion right before we left the system.  Still think she needs to be busted back to Sv-3, Captain?”

Martinez hid his embarrassment by taking a long sip from his mug.  “This tea is most excellent, Commander.”  He looked at Yuán as he replied to Cody, “I let my anger get the better of me, Captain.  I am sorry.”  Turning to Xiùlán as he rose to leave, he said, “Commander, if you wouldn’t mind and if your duties permit, I would appreciate having you chat with the _Stalingrad’s_ XO…  you can share your job philosophy with him, after which I will see about loosening the restrictions I place on him… on all my command staff.  I’d like to see the _Stalingrad_ performing as well as this ship.  Perhaps I’ve had my hand too firmly on the tiller for too long.”

“I’ll contact him right away, Sir.  Thank you.”  Xiùlán stood and waited for Martinez to precede her out of the QEC area.  She looked at Cody before she turned to follow; silently mouthing ‘ _what the hell, captain?’_  with a snarky expression _(it didn’t help that he grinned at her, dammit!)_ , she followed the Stalingrad’s captain up the ramp.

As the hatch opened, Martinez paused at the threshold to look at the bulkhead wall in front of him.  The grayish-blue surface had a large, polished ebony-colored board framed in oak mounted in the middle, on which were several rows of polished titanium plates.  Each of these had a rank insignia followed by a name, laser engraved in the surface.  The board was illuminated by lamps placed above and on either side of the hatch.  “What’s this then?” Martinez inquired.

Yuán came up beside the captain’s left side and stood at parade rest, an action that did not go unnoticed by Martinez.  “This is our memorial wall, dedicated to the officers and crew that died when the original _Hong Kong_ was destroyed during the Battle of the Citadel in 2183,” Xiùlán said solemnly.

“Each of these nameplates was created using some of the turbo-pump compressor blades salvaged from a wrecked reaction control unit recovered from the debris field.  One of our engineers got the idea after a quick tour of the _SR-2 Normandy_.  Seeing this every day?  We will not forget what these people sacrificed.”

Martinez stole a glance at Xiùlán.  “Why have it on this side of the bulkhead wall, Commander?” he asked quietly.  “Wouldn’t it be more visible on the other side, right behind the CIC?”

She turned her head towards him as she answered, “It would.  But this side of the wall is quieter.  Very little foot traffic, as this access hatch is generally locked.”  Turning back to look at the names, she finished with, “Good place to be alone with one’s thoughts, to pray to one’s gods or pray for guidance from one’s ancestors, to contemplate and appreciate the fragility of our existence.  It’s a place for remembering those we lost.”

“My God, Commander.  There are forty-seven names here!  The entire crew… lost?

“Yes Sir,” Xiùlán replied.  “Ship was sliced open so fast there wasn’t time for anyone to get to the escape pods.  Alliance recovered most of the bodies.  A couple of the engineers were caught in the core implosion… probably didn’t feel anything when they died.”

“That’s a terrible way to die, Commander, but probably no worse than trying to breathe vacuum,” Martinez observed.  With no warning, he came to full attention and saluted, an action almost simultaneously duplicated by Xiùlán.  They held their salutes for an eight count, then dropped their arms at the same time.  “Commander, I’m glad we had this chance to get acquainted.  It isn’t easy for me to admit, but… I was wrong, about you and your captain.  Whenever you’re ready… ,” he indicated the way out with a wave of his hand.

Xiùlán smiled, then turned and led the way back to the CIC.  The OD came to attention as he said “Officers on deck!” loud enough to be heard over the noise of machinery and conversations.  Everyone came to attention as they walked past the projection well.

Xiùlán turned and said, “As you were, people,” as she led the captain into the tactical passageway.

Once through the airlock and back on the platform beside the nose of the frigate, Martinez touched Xiùlán’s elbow and said, “Commander, I just want you to know I was completely prepared to be an unapologetic, unreasonable, hard-nosed sonovabitch when I came over here, despite what Admiral Hackett had said.”

“You mean to tell me the Admiral ordered you to apologize to me… to the Captain, in person?” Xiùlán asked, knowing full well that actually _was_ what had happened.

“I’m not proud of that fact, Commander.  I come from the ‘old school’ way of doing things,” he said.  He looked at the deck for a moment, then returned his gaze to her eyes.  ‘ _Brown eyes, with flecks of green fire within.  Like… the eyes of a dragon!_ ’ he thought.  ‘ _There’s danger there… she has seen death… dealt with death… up close… too damned close!’_  This all ran through his mind in the space of a heartbeat as he continued, “I never felt women should be posted to warships... never felt a woman was capable of running a ship.”

He held up his hands palms outward to still the protest he saw forming on her lips.  “Admiral Hackett has a great deal of respect for you, did you know that?  He even feels you are nearly an equal to Commander Shepard.”  He moved to stand beside the railing next to the stairs.  “It would appear she is actually responsible for… ” lifting his arms as he turned around, he waved his hands above his head to indicate the space within which their ships were docked, “… all of this.”  He dropped his arms heavily to his sides.  “Meeting you in person, seeing the respect everyone on this ship has for you, personally and as an officer…?  I was wrong about you, Yuán… did I pronounce that correctly?”

Xiùlán grinned at him.  “Close enough for me, Sir.”

 _‘That smile really carries into her eyes,_ ’ he thought.  “So Commander, again, I offer you my most sincere apology.  I was upset with the situation I found myself in… unwilling to take a risk and place my ship… my crew, in harm’s way by entering this abomination.  Seeing the _Hong Kong II_ make the first move?  It was an embarrassing moment for me.”

“Thank you Sir.  And, perhaps you should consider talking to this… Repository, as they refer to themselves.  It is continuously aware of us… listening to us.  It is… interesting… to talk to a being that has been in existence for a billion years or more.  Just ask… ,” Xiùlán turned away slightly and said in a voice that was obviously intended for someone else, “Harbinger, are you listening?”

**_This Repository is always listening, Yuán-Commander.  How may We assist you?_ **

“I would like to introduce you to Zachary Martinez, captain of the Alliance frigate _SSV Stalingrad_.  He has many questions for and about you, about the Repositories and their history,” she replied.

**_Martinez-Captain.  It is good to speak with another human.  Feel free to call for me upon your return to Stalingrad-frigate.  It will be… a pleasure, to learn from you._ **

“ ‘To learn from me’ ?  How would that be possible without… indoctrination?”

Harbinger, seemingly never tired of having to explain the same thing to the humans, replied, **_We are no longer capable of indoctrination, Martinez-Captain.  The imperative to do so was deleted from our programming by The Shepard.  The purpose of our original creation and programming no longer exists.  Every being must have purpose.  Our new purpose is to assist in rebuilding, to share knowledge, and to learn from the races of this cycle._**

Martinez looked questioningly at Xiùlán, who said, “Commander Shepard is the reason any of us are alive today, Captain.  Harbinger… First One, as it refers to itself, or perhaps, himself, tried to kill her before she reached the control center on the docked Crucible.  The Reapers… Repositories, honor her as if she were a goddess.

**_This Repository will tell you of the end of the harvest… the end of all harvests…  and the reasons for our creation._ **

Martinez turned to face Xiùlán before descending the stairs to return to his ship.  Before he could say anything, she snapped to attention and saluted as she said, “Good to meet you, Sir.  I will be in contact with your XO shortly.”

Instead of returning her salute, he offered his hand, which she slowly took.  “Thank you, Staff Commander.  You have provided me with many things to ponder.”  Releasing her hand, he turned and began descending the stairs to return to the _Stalingrad_.

Xiùlán waited until he was out of earshot, then asked softly, “Harbinger?  Please reply with a text to my omnitool.”

The reply was nearly instantaneous.  Her omnitool lit up and the text screen displayed, **_WHAT MAY THIS ONE DO FOR YOU, YUÁN-COMMANDER?_**

She sent back, ‘ _Please do not inform Captain Martinez the Normandy and Commander Shepard are on their way to the Apien Crest._ ’

**_AS YOU WISH, YUÁN-COMMANDER._ **

Xiùlán closed her omnitool and re-entered her ship.

* * *

_**A/N:**  I have revised a few previous chapters where FTL speeds were deemed incorrect.  My current calculations show a Sovereign-class Reaper should be able to, at its top speed, travel the 5500 light years or so from where the Normandy was encountered back to the Apien Crest in just over five months.  The Normandy, at its top speed, presuming no stops for refueling, would take about 110 years to travel the same distance._

_As to the docking arrangement inside Harbinger, I realize the description may be a bit confusing.  Those of you who have seen a light airplane Tee-hanger will understand... remove the roof and walls separating the hangered airplanes, you’re left with a row of aircraft parked with their tails across an imaginary line running perpendicular to the fuselages of each.  For our space vessels, swap the tails of the airplanes for the noses of the ships to envision the parking arrangement.  A diagram of a Tee-hanger can be found at Wikipedia - look for ‘wiki/Tee_hangar’._


	29. Joker's Dream Comes True

_Inside every man there is a potential woman and inside every woman resides a potential man_   - John Maxwell Taylor,  _Eros Ascending: The Life-Transforming Power of Sacred Sexuality_

* * *

*** NORMANDY • DECK THREE, LIFE SUPPORT ***

Since her recent meeting with Specialist Traynor, Tali’Zorah had spent several days during her off-duty hours studying EDI’s schematics.  She felt she had finally figured out where the problem was located… simple to fix, if one knew where to look.  There was a flexible integrated circuit panel inside EDI’s left hip, just forward and above the ball-socket joint.  There should have been a micro-wire harness connected between the circuit panel and EDI’s… ahhh… lady parts.  The harness was apparently omitted, probably deliberately so, when Cerberus assembled Eva Coré’s lower body.  Tali just needed to visually inspect the components to discover if the harness was coiled up inside waiting to be connected at one end or the other (or both), or if it had been omitted altogether.  She sent a message to Traynor and EDI, requesting them to meet her in the environmental controls compartment.

Samantha arrived first, walking up to the table Tali had previously used for repairing EDI’s eye.  “What do you need, Tali?”

Tali handed Samantha the tablet displaying EDI’s lower body schematics.  “I think I may have found… ” she paused as EDI entered the compartment.

“Hi, Tali?… Samantha?… what are you doing?”

Samantha showed the tablet she was holding to EDI.  “We’re working to find a solution for your lack of… sexual pleasure.  Tali and I need to look at how you were hard wired when Cerberus assembled your lower body.”

EDI studied the schematics for several seconds, then looked at the quarian.  “You believe the wiring was omitted, Tali’Zorah?”

“Yes, EDI.  I believe there is an access panel at your thigh-to-hip joint area,” Tali said thoughtfully.  “There are a number of motors and actuators inside, along with the circuit panel in question.  If you would remove your flight suit, it should only take a few moments to access the area and check for wiring.”

EDI looked at Samantha, than back to Tali.  “Okay,” she said.  She began removing the one-piece suit by releasing the hidden fasteners down the center of her chest; then grabbing the sleeves and shrugging her shoulders, she pulled her arms out one-by-one and slid the top section down to her hips.  As EDI’s body was still covered in its original thermo-set plastic covering, she didn’t appear any different than she did before donning a ‘uniform’ in an attempt to better blend in with the other crew members.  She was nude, hips-to-neck, just not nude like a human would have been.

Tali moved her chair up next to EDI’s left side and pulled the loose part of her suit down past her hip joint.  “EDI, please place your feet 75 centimeters apart,” Tali requested, as she studied the datapad for reference.  EDI’s sharp intake of air could be heard as Tali placed her right hand on the back of EDI’s leg at the crease where it joined her butt; she slid her other hand over the outer pelvic structure and thigh ‘bone’.

“Just need to find… ,” she murmured to herself, “… got it!  Samantha, please place your hand on EDI’s leg, palm down, fingers spread, just past my fingertips.”

Samantha did as requested, looking up at EDI’s face as she did so.  EDI, left arm behind her back, torso slightly twisted, watched the pair of techs with a great deal of curiosity.  Tali looked up at EDI and asked, “Can you close your eyes and feel Traynor’s hand on your inner thigh?”

EDI closed her eyes and processed the inquiry.  Yes, she  _could_  feel Samantha’s hand, as well as her outstretched fingers.  The hand… fingers… were… warm… on her ‘skin’… the outstretched fingers nearly touching the frontal crease between leg and torso.  It was a new experience for her, having someone besides Jeff touch her in such close proximity to her pelvic center.  It felt… pleasant.  “Tali, I can feel Traynor’s hand on my leg.”

That’s good, EDI,” Tali responded.  “Now, visualize that area from an internal perspective.  Traynor’s hand is on an access panel, perhaps 10 by 15 centimeters in size.  I need you to… ’look’, at this panel from within.  There are a pair of latches on the inside that you should be able to release.”

EDI kept her eyes closed as she studied her body’s access points.

It was as Tali had described.  There had never been any reason for her to do so before, but as she ‘explored’ down her torso, past her hip bones, she was amazed to discover a number of access ports of varying sizes, all hidden from external view.  She found the one under Sam’s hand and softly said, “I found it Tali.  I can… see… the latches.”

“Good.  Now release them,” Tali whispered.

EDI ‘looked’ at the latches.  It should be a simple matter for her to… engage two miniature servos… thus!

Traynor gasped as a cover panel, its edges cleverly hidden from view, popped outwards about three millimeters at its lower end.  She quickly looked at Tali, then up to EDI’s face as she opened her eyes and looked down.  Returning her attention to the panel, she used the fingertips on her free hand to touch the edge, then gently pulled outward and upwards, afraid to tug too hard, afraid she’d break a hinge plate or… something.  The cover obliged by tilting outwards until it rested at ninety degrees.  Sam reported, “That’s as far as it will open, Tali.”  She moved out of the way as Tali activated a micro-light on her omnitool to illuminate the inside of EDI’s upper thigh.

Tali peered around inside EDI’s leg, marveling at the engineering involved in miniaturizing motors, linkages, piping, hydraulics and electronics.  Cerberus scientists, electrical engineers and computer technicians had done a masterful job in creating Dr  Eva’s body… now EDI’s body.  After peering about for less than a minute, she finally found her quarry - a coiled electrical harness consisting of five or six conductors, each sporting a protective sleeve over its miniature connector.  “Specialist, please hand me my grabber tool,” she requested.

Samantha complied, then held her own omnitool light on the location so Tali could use both hands.

After a couple of false starts, she succeeded in snagging and pulling the harness out far enough to grab with her hand.  After a quick inspection, she relayed the good news.  “This is it, EDI.  I believe this will fix what you’ve been missing.”

Tali uncoiled the harness, marveling at the minute gauge of each wire as she did so.  Referring to the schematic print on her tablet, she separated the six wires one from the other so she could see the number codes of each, etched onto a miniscule tag attached near the wire terminus.  Tali directed Samantha to hold her omni-light pointed at the panel’s connectors; using a pair of precision long-nose pliers, she grabbed each wire just behind its connector and pushed it onto its pin on the circuit board.

With just one wire left, Tali looked up at EDI and said, “You may wish to power down this panel, EDI.  I don’t know what will happen if I make this connection on a ‘hot’ board.”

EDI closed her eyes momentarily, then replied, “Done, Tali.  Make the final connection.”

Tali carefully hooked the last wire onto its connection on the circuit board, then recoiled the remainder of the harness and clamped it back in its original location.  She rechecked the routing of the newly connected harness, then said, “Okay, Specialist.  Let’s close this access panel so EDI can relatch it.”

Sam did as instructed, holding the panel lightly closed with pressure from her fingertips.  The panel edges disappeared as EDI applied the servos in reverse, latching the panel.

Samantha and Tali both looked at EDI as she opened her eyes.

* * *

*** DECK TWO • WAR ROOM ***

Shepard had been monitoring velocity and positional data being supplied by Žiuk’Durmah; the data indicated that Iringù-Eßizkur was within a day of meeting up with their host, which would be welcome news for her turian and quarian friends on board.  She sent a note to Alenko’s omnitool, with a copy going to Garrus… she did not include Tali, who was involved with Sam and EDI in a project in the Life Support compartment.  ‘ _KAIDAN… GARRUS, PLEASE REPORT TO THE WAR ROOM._ ’  She made an internal bet with herself as to who would arrive first.  Her credits (of which she had absolutely none!) were on Garrus, unless the pair were in the same lounge.

Less than a minute had passed when Alenko entered the chamber, followed closely by Garrus.  ( _Damn!  She’d have lost the bet!_ ) “Kaidan?  Garrus?  Thank you for coming.  I wanted both of you here for my meeting with Žiuk’Durmah.  We’re within a day of meeting Iringù-Eßizkur, the Repository ferrying supplies out to us.  I’m going to ask our host if it’s possible to dock the Destroyer inside, with us, so we don’t have to lose travel time transferring supplies.  Thoughts?”

Alenko answered first.  “Commander, do you believe this is a viable option?”

“I do,” she replied.  “Overall, a standard Reaper destroyer is about 150 - 175 meters in length, roughly the same length or less than the SR-1 Normandy.  The SR-2 is 216 meters by 96 meters at the engines.  I believe there is more than enough room inside this ‘hanger’ for another ship of similar size, even if it’s configuration is different than ours.”

“How would our supplies get transferred, Commander?”  Garrus asked.  “We don’t possess cargo handling equipment, at least not for moving containers between ships.  The compartment we are docked in has artificial gravity, which may complicate matters considerably.”

“We’ll just have to let Žiuk’Durmah figure that out,” she replied.  “Shouldn’t be that difficult to pull off.”

Shepard’s voice changed as she addressed the air around her.  **”Žiuk’Durmah, we need to talk.”**

**_What do you need to discuss, Shepard-Normandy?_ **

**“Query: would it be possible for you to add to the docking structure you created for the Normandy?  If feasible, would it be possible for Iringù-Eßizkur to be brought inside to dock beside us?”**

**_To what purpose, Shepard-Normandy?_ **

**“We wish to keep the delay for transferring supplies to a minimum,”**  Shepard answered.  **”We believe it would be more efficient to transfer supplies within your structure while you continue to our destination at maximum FTL.  You can drop to sub-light velocity to dock the supply Repository, then continue on course at FTL.  Transfers of supplies could be handled in a more relaxed manner.”**

Žiuk’Durmah was silent for several moments as it contemplated the request, then replied,  ** _It can be accomplished, Shepard-Normandy._**

**_Repositories have never carried lesser Repositories, those you term Destroyers, in such a manner, as each has its own Mass Effect Core and propulsion system.  This shall be a new experience for this Repository and for Iringù-Eßizkur.  Reconfiguration of the docking apparatus for Iringù-Eßizkur’s outer structure will be accomplished in less than six hours.  Creation of several autonomous transfer vehicles to handle cargo will commence immediately._ **

**“Žiuk’Durmah, if I may ask,”**  Shepard said, as an afterthought.  **”How do you see yourself?”**

**_Clarify._ **

**“You never refer to yourself as anything but a machine.  It would seem that enough time has passed for the organic bits of my DNA to have brought you to a realization of ‘self ‘.”** Shepard had to satisfy her curiosity.  **”To be absolutely blunt, you never reference yourself as ‘I’, or ‘me’; you never use the term ‘my’ when referring to yourself.  My question for you is this: are you a living individual?  You are a living machine, a structure with billions, perhaps trillions of organic minds within you, but do you see yourself as an individual, as crew of the Normandy see you?”**

The old machine was silent for many minutes as it contemplated the question posed by The Shepard.  It’s reply was unexpected.

**_This Repository has not contemplated this before.  The concept of ‘self’ for this Repository is… strange.  We must consider all aspects of your query, Shepard-Normandy.  Logging you out…_ **

* * *

*** COUNCIL SPACE • OUTBOUND FROM APIEN CREST ***

Iringù-Eßizkur, created during a harvest 350,000 cycles ago, had been continuously exchanging data with Žiuk’Durmah, keeping the larger Repository aware of her velocity and position.  She ( _gender identity?… unsure of when she had started identifying as feminine… devoting a sub-routine for research and clarification_ ) had been traveling at her top speed since leaving the Trebia System; as the rate of closure was so extreme and positional data indicated a rendezvous was imminent, each of them had begun decreasing speed in preparation for dropping out of FTL.  Iringù-Eßizkur had made a minute course correction as well… enough to ensure there would not be a collision between the two living machines.

She had calculated it would be prudent to drop out of FTL at less than half her maximum speed in order to lessen the possibility of a massive temporal distortion being spawned in her wake.  There had been several instances of Repositories of her class, most with lesser mass than her own ( _feminine description?… must continue research_ ), dropping from maximum FTL directly to sublight velocity; these had been shoved violently and uncontrollably back into FTL by the massive temporal distortion wave caused by the sudden cessation of the mass effect field around the structure.  None had been destroyed; all had been heavily damaged by the phenomenon, which never affected the capitol Repositories, those of Nazara’s mass, or of First One’s.

The hypothesis among the capitol Repositories was that lesser mass and overall ‘shape’ during FTL travel of ‘Destroyer’ class Repositories contributed to the creation of waves of temporal distortion… wake vortices… at the instant of transition from FTL to Sublight speed.

Iringù-Eßizkur was now traveling at three quarters of her maximum FTL velocity.  She continued to decelerate as she pondered her current task, which she was anxious to complete.  She wished to return to her assignments of repairing relays and com buoys, but realized her current mission was critical to the survival of a turian and a quarian on board Normandy-frigate.  Normandy-frigate… the first Normandy-frigate had been sliced apart by the Collectors; The Shepard had died beside her broken ship over Alchera.

Shepard’s body had been recovered, reconstructed by Cerberus with the use of many synthetic parts and pieces acquired from Collectors and Repositories; The Shepard had been personally responsible for the destruction of a Collector vessel just prior to the harvest; four Destroyers became her victims during The Shepard’s campaign to unite all the races of the galaxy against the harvesters.  Replacement Normandy-frigate was legendary among Destroyer-class Repositories; the few with first-hand experience were either badly damaged or destroyed during the encounter.  The ship was extremely fast, very maneuverable, quite heavily armed and had superior shielding for a human frigate; commanded by The Shepard, it had been instrumental in bringing down two of the four Repositories destroyed by her.

**_Iringù-Eßizkur, what is your current velocity and position?_ **

The query from Žiuk’Durmah intruded on her musings.  She ( _still researching pronoun_ ) answered with,  ** _Current velocity is just over 491 trillion Km/h and decelerating.  Positional data places each of us less than eight standard hours apart at our current rate of diminishing velocities._**

**_Iringù-Eßizkur, Shepard-Normandy has requested unique maneuver from Repositories.  She does not wish to extend our ETA to System-Trebia by stopping for supplies transfer; she believes you can enter my structure to dock alongside Normandy-frigate.  Supplies transfer can then be accomplished with minimal delay while FTL is resumed by this Repository.  Your structure can be received for docking as we travel together at sub-light velocity._ **

**_Processing data, Žiuk’Durmah.  Please stand by._** She had never heard of a destroyer entering a capitol Repository for any reason… it just was not done, though the capitol Repositories  _did_  have more than ample space inside for cargo of  _any_  kind.  She was… intrigued by the thought of being docked adjacent to an Alliance warship.  Not just any warship.  Normandy-frigate.  It would be… an honor, to travel alongside a living vessel not of Repository origin.  **_Žiuk’Durmah, initiating calculations to enable docking in motion.  Logging you out._**

Iringù-Eßizkur resumed her musings about Normandy-frigate, especially now she would be docked alongside the human ship.  She was not quite so anxious to complete her mission as before… she wanted to learn more about the ship, its commander; it must be the first vessel of any race commanded by an organic intelligence.

* * *

*** NORMANDY • DECK THREE, LIFE SUPPORT ***

EDI looked down at Samantha and Tali as she opened her eyes.  “Panel is sealed and locked.  What’s our next step?”

Tali responded with, “Reapply power to that circuit board, EDI.”

EDI closed her eyes.  Her lips parted slightly as she applied power to the board; her physical reaction caused Sam to gasp.  The perfectly smooth area below the equivalent of a human’s pubic bone started transforming.  Two access panels, heretofore hidden from view, unsealed and began folding inwards, reforming… reshaping as they folded, wrinkling here and there to slowly become a perfectly shaped synthetic genital cleft, complete with labia, clitoris and vaginal opening.

“Keelah!”  Tali exclaimed.  “I think you just became a fully sexual female, EDI.  How do you feel?”

“I cannot describe it, Tali.”  EDI moved her hand gingerly down past her pubic mound to touch her genitals.  “Those panels always retracted when I desired, and all the parts were there, but I am now receiving… ” her breath caught as fingertips brushed past her newly energized clitoris, “… uhmm, pleasurable feedback.  It is an odd feeling…  one that will take some getting used to.”

Tali asked, “What happens if you switch the power off to that circuit board?”

EDI again closed her eyes, this time for a number of seconds.  She opened them with a look of surprise.  “I am unable to terminate power to that circuit board, Tali.  Perhaps that is the reason wiring was left disconnected when this body was constructed.  Cerberus really didn’t want the Doctor Eva AI to be sexually distracted.  Having the circuit board powered made no difference to her; with the wire harness omitted, sexual access panels remained closed.”

Samantha observed, “You’re going to have to wear clothing in public now, EDI.  You and I are about the same size… I’ll give you a few pairs of my panties so you won’t have to pull this suit back on over your… lady parts.  You are not simply a synthetic person any longer.  You are a fully functional organic-synthetic female, with all… ,” Sam slowly stood and gazed at EDI’s breasts and finished with, “… all the physical attributes of any human woman.”  She placed her fingers on both of EDI’s breasts, covering the newly formed nipples, which reacted to her touch by stiffening.  “You just may need to wear a bra as well.”  Sam cupped EDI’s breasts with her hands and lifted slightly.  “These feel exactly like mine, react to touch like mine, or Liara’s.”

EDI smiled at Sam as she brought her hands up, lifting her boobs as Sam removed her own hands.  “They  _do_  feel different.  They have a more flexible weight than before.  And I am not going to inquire about your knowledge of what Liara’s boobs feel like.”

“Please tell me you don’t have ovaries, EDI,” Sam said with a smirk.  “I cannot even imagine what you would look like nine months pregnant with Joker’s child.”

EDI closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them.  “There are no reproductive organs within this body, Samantha… no ovaries.  No fallopian tubes.  No uterus.  In that way, I am similar to a human female that has had a hysterectomy and oophorectomy.”

Sam said, “I’ll be right back, EDI.  Looks as if you’ll need more underwear than I can spare, so I’m going to ship’s stores, see if I can find you some new stuff.”  Sam left the compartment and headed to the hanger deck.

EDI pulled her jumpsuit back up, shrugging her arms into the sleeves and fastening it closed.  She grimaced slightly at the feeling of the material against her newly sensitized genitals and her nipples.  “Is your suit as uncomfortable, Tali?”

“I’ve been wearing a suit my entire life, EDI.  It’s so much like a second skin I usually don’t notice it,” Tali replied.  “But I am also wearing undergarments.  We all do.”

EDI looked thoughtful.  “Do you think Jeff will approve of the new me, Tali?”

“I don’t see any reason for him to  _not_  approve of your modifications,” Tali said.  “I expect you’ll have a difficult time keeping him focused when you’re sitting beside him on the bridge.”

* * *

*** COUNCIL SPACE • OUTBOUND FROM APIEN CREST ***

Iringù-Eßizkur dropped out of FTL without incident and continued on course to rendezvous with Žiuk’Durmah.  ‘She’ had finished researching the change in point of view regarding her own existence, her feelings of being gender-female, rather than gender-neutral.

Her research into her creation 350,000 cycles ago had produced an epiphany… the assimilation of over twenty-five billion organic minds that led to her own creation had all been gender-female of the dominant secondary species in existence at that time.  She suspected the same results would have occurred if her creation had been accomplished using only asari minds during the recently aborted harvest of this cycle, but  _only_  with the addition of DNA from The Shepard to her microstructures.  That influence had started the process, but it had taken her all this time to realize this as fact.  She would have to discuss this with Žiuk’Durmah… possibly even First One.  For now, she devoted several sub-routines to generating vectors and velocities for a successful entry and docking within Žiuk’Durmah, whom she addressed while sending calculations as part of the sub-carrier:  ** _Žiuk’Durmah.  I am now proceeding on course at sublight velocity.  My calculations predict precision docking can be accomplished at a maximum velocity of 200,000,000 M/sec.  Please advise within five standard minutes of exiting FTL for rendezvous._** She did not have to wait long for a reply.

**_Iringù-Eßizkur, this Repository is now within five standard minutes of exiting FTL.  You may begin your maneuver in thirty seconds.  Query.  Why are you now using personal pronouns to denote your structure?_ **

**_I have concluded my existence is now a ‘life’, an individual, gender-female, due to the influence of The Shepard’s DNA within my structure.  I have been a living machine since my creation , but not totally self-aware, as was Nazara; as is First One.  STANDBY.  COMMENCING FIRST PRE-RENDEZVOUS MANEUVER._ **

Iringù-Eßizkur changed course, executing a high-speed, ‘Z’-direction (up and over) 180° turn… a maneuver that would have ripped any Alliance or turian ship in half.  She was now moving in the opposite direction of her previous course and still decelerating.  **_FIRST PRE-RENDEZVOUS MANEUVER COMPLETE, ŽIUK’DURMAH.  STANDING BY FOR NEXT COURSE CORRECTION._**

Žiuk’Durmah replied,  ** _DROPPING OUT OF FTL IN ONE MINUTE._**

* * *

*** NORMANDY • DECK THREE, LIFE SUPPORT ***

Traynor returned to the compartment with an armful of clothing for her friend.  “EDI, I found everything you’ll need for the time being, at least until we can travel to someplace like… umm, I don’t know, the Citadel?… in order to find you some better clothes.”  She set her burden down on the table and turned towards EDI.  “Come on, let’s get you out of Miranda’s ‘catsuit’.”

EDI looked from the pile of clothing to Traynor.  “Samantha, this seems to be… an excessive amount of apparel for me.”  She ran her hands through the stacked garments.  “I thought you would just bring me some underwear… ”

Traynor finished for her, “… which I did.  But you needed a couple of duty uniforms as well.”  Sam picked up a pair of underpants and a sport bra.  “Come on.  I want to make sure this all fits.”

EDI slowly unfastened her jumpsuit, uncertainty visible in her expression.  Pulling the upper section down past her hips, she sat on one of the chairs in order to free her legs from the tight fitting fabric.

Traynor handed her the underpants, actually little more than a G-string, which she pulled on up to her thighs before standing to finish pulling them up.  “These certainly feel a lot more comfortable against my genitals,” she admitted.

“Of course they do,” Samantha replied.  “Now, this sport bra is a woven one-piece garment.  Pull it over your head and put your arms through here… ” she demonstrated for EDI, “… then pull it down over your, ah… breasts.  You’ll most likely have to use your hands to settle your boobs into place in the cups, but once that’s done, I think you’ll find the lack of chaffing and the support is worth the effort.”

EDI looked at Tali and Sam after she finished.  “How do I look?”

“Like you need some clothes,” Tali responded.  “I’m actually a bit envious at just how little a human female, even a human-synthetic woman, actually has to wear to be decently covered.  You could actually walk through the ship dressed like that EDI… so could Traynor, or Gabby,” she added in a wistful tone; “You’d get a lot of second looks from the men, however, especially with your ass hanging out like that.”

Traynor grabbed one of the several standard crew uniforms she’d retrieved from stores.  “Try this one, EDI.  The pants and top are individual pieces… easier to get in and out of.”

EDI pulled the clothes on and turned to her friends with both arms outstretched.  “What do you think of my new appearance?”

“Perfect, EDI,” Tali said.  “Joker will be impressed by your new look.”

Traynor could not resist.  “Actually, Joker will be a hellova lot more impressed when he peels you out of those clothes, EDI.  Let us know how it goes!”

* * *

*** DECK TWO • WAR ROOM ***

**_Shepard-Normandy._** Žiuk’Durmah’s image formed from a swirling mass of blue, green and white pixels in the middle of the projection well.

Shepard’s projected image appeared at the railing as Kaidan Alenko entered from the secured passage on the other side.  **”I am here, Žiuk’Durmah.  Do you have a status update for us?”**

**_This Repository will be dropping out of FTL in forty-five seconds.  It is anticipated that docking with Iringù-Eßizkur will take place shortly after.  Please stand by…_ **

Shepard looked at Alenko, who responded by touching the comm-link in his right ear, activating the ship’s PA as he activated his omnitool and entered the code to sound a ‘general quarters’ alert.  “All hands to GQ… DC teams on standby.  Our transporter will be dropping out of FTL in… ” he paused to check the countdown chronometer adjacent to the QEC entrance, “… less than thirty seconds.”  Closing the PA mike, he watched and listened, as Shepard had continued to talk to Žiuk’Durmah.

**“… my previous query?  Have you given consideration to your own concept of self… to your status as not just a living machine, but as a living individual?”**

**_We have considered all aspects of your query, Shepard-Normandy.  Additionally, in discussions with Iringù-Eßizkur, this Repos…_** there was a long pause, then  ** _STANDBY.  DROPPING FROM FTL IN FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO,…_**

The Normandy, clamped to the Reaper’s structure by mechanical locks, shuddered slightly as Žiuk’Durmah dropped into normal space and continued to decelerate.  **_… this Repository has determined that it would be appropriate to refer to… ’me’… as gender-male.  In future conversations, it will be… ’I’.  Shepard-Normandy and crew may refer to me as they wish.  I am still Žiuk’Durmah, a Repository of Prothean, Densorin and Enduromi civilizations.  But… I am an individual._**

Shepard changed the subject while she had the Repository’s attention.  **”What of the Prothean, Žiuk’Durmah?  What is Javik’s condition?”**

**_The Prothean is completely healed.  He continues researching history of his race stored in my archives.  He is not willing to offer an apology to Traynor-Specialist for his attempt to murder her.  He has not expressed any desire to return to Normandy-frigate, even to work with T’Soni-Shadow Broker.  Do you wish to talk to him?_ **

**“Not at this time, Žiuk’Durmah,”** Shepard replied.  **”It would seem that releasing him from his stasis pod was a poor choice on my part.  I am sorry that you have to be burdened with his care.”**

**_It is not a burden, Shepard-Normandy.  I am honored to be a host for a Prothean that is still alive.  I can speak with him.  I am unable to speak to the memories of the billions assimilated during the previous harvest._ **

**“Thank you, Žiuk’Durmah.  How much time until Iringù-Eßizkur docks with you?”**

**_Less than one standard hour, Shepard-Normandy.  I will send a warning when we are within five minutes of docking Iringù-Eßizkur._ **

**“Again, our thanks.  Logging you out… ”**

* * *

*** COUNCIL SPACE • INBOUND TO APIEN CREST ***

**_Iringù-Eßizkur, this Repository is now within ten standard minutes of overtaking you.  Prepare to be received aboard my structure.  At this time, cessation of your forward drive output would be advised.  Your structure will continue on momentum until I am close enough to activate an enclosing Mass Effect field._ **

Iringù-Eßizkur ceased reversing thrust to slow her progress, resulting in a stable velocity.  **_All energy fields have been terminated, Žiuk’Durmah.  My sensors detect you overtaking me.  Applying directional controls to remain aligned for entry into your structure.  Forward momentum holding steady at 198,747,045.173 M/second._** Iringù-Eßizkur paused, then continued ** _, Query.  You have begun referring to yourself with proper nouns.  You have determined yourself to exist as gender-male?_**

**_Affirmative, Iringù-Eßizkur.  Standby._ **

* * *

*** NORMANDY • DECK TWO, WAR ROOM ***

**_Shepard-Normandy._** Žiuk’Durmah’s image reformed from the swirling mass of blue, green and white pixels.  **_Iringù-Eßizkur is within minutes of being brought aboard… my structure.  She will be docked as close to Normandy-frigate as practicable._**

Shepard answered,  **”Wait… what?  Iringù-Eßizkur is gender-female?  I have never heard of a female Rea… pository, Žiuk’Durmah.  All the Repositories I have dealt with have sounded gender-male, even if they didn’t actually specify.  How many gender-female Repositories exist?”**

**_Unknown, Shepard-Normandy.  We are all disconnected from each other.  We can converse more on this subject after Iringù-Eßizkur is safely aboard and docked.  Logging you out…_ **

“Come on Alenko,” Shepard said.  “Let’s go to the bridge, see what happens.”

* * *

*** COUNCIL SPACE • INBOUND TO APIEN CREST ***

**_Iringù-Eßizkur, prepare for high-velocity capture._** Žiuk’Durmah, decelerating rapidly, was nevertheless overtaking the smaller Repository at an extremely high velocity; The two massive constructs were now less than 50,000 kilometers from each other, with that distance becoming less with each passing second.  Žiuk’Durmah continued to slow his velocity until he was within one kilometer, then matched Iringù-Eßizkur’s velocity plus 155 Km/Hour.  He unlatched and spread his massive arms as he continued to approach, as if to embrace the smaller construct.  The hatch at the base of those arms slowly irised open to its maximum diameter as Žiuk’Durmah created a massive, violet-tinged blue sphere; this mass effect field became the ‘lightning rod’ for the blue-shifted curtains of white energy lighting up the cold exterior of the smaller Repository, the visible display of its discharging drive core.

Žiuk’Durmah slowed its velocity by another 85 percent, bringing it to an almost relative standstill above and behind Iringù-Eßizkur.  As the field closed around the Destroyer, the energy discharges gradually decreased in intensity, then ceased altogether.  Žiuk’Durmah continued to creep forward relative to Iringù-Eßizkur; as he contracted the energy field, Iringù-Eßizkur repositioned its stern section, straightening the upwards curved surfaces to enable a straight-line entry into Žiuk’Durmah’s storage compartment.

**_Posterior section moving past kinetic barrier, Iringù-Eßizkur.  Do not attempt to maneuver until you are free of the field.  I will control your entry into my docking area._ **

Iringù-Eßizkur had all her proximity sensors engaged in order to avoid any physical contact with Žiuk’Durmah’s frame as he eased her backwards into the storage area.  Being this close to another Repository… mere centimeters from contacting the frame… was a totally new experience, one she did not wish to repeat.  She was not scared… had no fear of collision, trusting that Žiuk’Durmah had no desire to experience physical contact with her structure; it simply was not something that was regularly done.

The field surrounding her dissipated as her forward cover plates cleared the hatch frame and Žiuk’Durmah started irising the hatch segments closed.

 ** _You are free of the field, Iringù-Eßizkur,_** Žiuk’Durmah relayed.  **_You may proceed to the docking apparatus I have erected for your use._**

Spinning on her axis, Iringù-Eßizkur sensed the presence of the special docking clamps setup for her.  It was a simple matter to center her structure within the area and initiate a lockdown.  As she powered down her systems, she opened and folded her frontal plates to each side, allowing her first view of the Alliance warship, Normandy-frigate, docked just twenty-five meters away.  Zooming in on the lighted areas at the very front confirmed she was ‘looking’ at the ship’s bridge area, where the pilots, navigator and gunnery chief would be stationed.  She felt… ( _was that the correct term?_ )… a sense of… anticipation.  It would be… interesting… to exchange information with the organics on board.

* * *

*** NORMANDY DECK TWO • BRIDGE ***

**_Shepard-Normandy,_**  Žiuk’Durmah said, speaking with those on the Normandy and with the just docked destroyer.  **_Iringù-Eßizkur is securely docked in front of Normandy-frigate.  I will dispatch automated handlers to transfer cargo into Normandy-frigate’s hanger deck as soon as you are ready to receive them.  I will resume FTL travel in one standard minute._**

Alenko was sitting in EDI's empty navigator’s chair… Shepard’s projection was standing behind Joker’s leather upholstered chair.  **”Thank you, Žiuk’Durmah.  Iringù-Eßizkur?  It is a pleasure to finally meet you.  The crew of the Normandy is standing by to assist.”**

Shepard was surprised to hear a distinctly feminine voice, incalculably ancient in timbre, incongruously young in pitch, with a lilting quality accompanied by musical overtones.  **_Shepard-Normandy.  Alenko-Major.  Moreau-Flight Lieutenant.  I am…  honored… to be addressing those most responsible for ending the harvest, for granting peace to organics and synthetics.  We now have new purposes.  I would enjoy talking to the turian and the quarian on board Normandy-frigate; the majority of supplies I am transporting are for their benefit.  There is also a quantity of levo-based food and drink, along with enough helium-3 to refuel Normandy-frigate.  Transfers can begin immediately._**

“Joker, have Lieutenant Cortez open the hanger deck ramp,” Alenko said quietly.

Shepard responded,  **”Thank you, Iringù-Eßizkur.”**

* * *

*** DECK THREE • PORT SIDE, LIARA’S QUARTERS ***

The chiming door lock interrupted Traynor’s continuing search for new accommodations for Liara, who was out having breakfast.  She sighed as she released the lock, then turned and stood as EDI rapidly entered and walked up to her.  “Specialist, please have Tali’Zorah come up here.  Ask her to leave her mask and helmet off”

Sam sent a text request to Tali, who responded with  _’Be right up’_.  “EDI, what’s the problem?  You seem upset.”

EDI wrung her hands.  “I have something to tell both of you.  It concerns Joker.”

The door lock chimed; Sam opened it for Tali, who rushed in, concern evident in her expression.  “EDI, what has happened?”

EDI moved to stand in front of Tali.  “Tali, I was asked to deliver a message.”  With that, she grabbed Tali around her waist and side with both arms, pulled her in for a tight embrace and planted a passionate, open-mouth kiss on the surprised quarian.

For her part, Tali briefly tried to push against EDI’s shoulders before sliding her hands around behind EDI’s neck and returning her kiss with interest.  They continued using their tongues and lips to explore each other’s mouths until Samantha coughed to distract the pair.  They responded by reluctantly parting; each of them was clearly aroused, Tali in particular.  “Keelah!”  she breathed huskily.  “I will have to reprogram my suit tonight!  Is there anything else you would like to tell me, EDI?”

EDI wasn’t done.  She turned to Traynor with an impossibly seductive look in her eyes.  “Specialist, I have a message for you as well.”  With that, she slowly embraced Sam, pressing her body as tightly as she could to that of the specialist.

Sam embraced EDI below her waist in order to hold onto and knead her ass while she enjoyed the synthetic woman’s exquisite control of her tongue; she was instantly aroused, having to fight the all-too-powerful urge to rip off her own clothes and give herself over to her body’s almost overwhelming need to pleasure both of them.  “So,” Sam sighed as EDI broke the kiss, “What was… uhm,” she had to swallow hard before continuing, “… the message, and who sent it?”

EDI slowly released Samantha, sliding her arms and hands leisurely out from between her upper arms and the sides of her boobs; this elicited a shuddering sigh from the specialist.  “EDI, where in ‘ell did you learn to  _do_  stuff like that?”  Sam now needed to change her panties  _and_  take a long, cold shower.

EDI smiled at both of them.  “Joker still has a lot of  _really_  inappropriate material stashed on the server.  The physical messages were my idea.  Joker asked me to deliver a verbal message to each of you.  You were correct, Sam.  After I told Joker what you and Tali did for me, he was  _extremely_  impressed after peeling me out of my clothes.  I was a bit unprepared for his physical stamina, but in the end, he was unable to outlast me.  He asked me to tell both of you thanks for enabling me to… ‘fuck his brains out’.”

Sam had recovered enough to now literally fall on the deck laughing.  “Damn, Tali,” she cried, tears running down her cheeks.  “You finished Cerberus’ job for them!  What did Jack call her – a sexbot?!”  Sam grabbed Tali in a tight hug and kissed her before turning to Joker’s lover.  “Good for you, EDI!  Good for you!”


	30. New Accommodations for the Shadow Broker

_Space is big.  You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is.  I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the drug store, but that’s just peanuts to space_  - Douglas Adams

* * *

*** NORMANDY, DECK THREE • SHADOW BROKER’S OFFICE ***

Specialist Traynor had taken a break; she took a long shower (cool water, not cold), changed her underpants ( _damn!  EDI was one ‘ellova tease!_ ), then returned to her research.  The Shadow Broker’s current situation on the _Normandy_ would most likely be terminated by the Alliance upon their return to a settled system… if not the Apien Crest, then in the Sol system.  In order to continue operating as the Shadow Broker, Doctor T’Soni would need her own ship – something large enough for all her equipment, with full living quarters and storage areas for supplies, and fast enough to travel vast distances in a short time.  Unfortunately, such a vessel would require a crew, a requirement Traynor really wanted to avoid.  Crew members needed to be screened, needed to be paid, had to be monitored.  The fewer people on the ship, the better.

Samantha had listed all the requirements for a suitable vessel on a datapad.  Thus far, the search had been fruitless… there really was no vessel available for the Broker’s unique requirements that was affordable.  She stood up, stretched the kinks out of her neck and said, “Liara?  I need to take a walk, clear my head,” to which the asari responded with a wave of her hand.

Sam thought for a few moments, but did not think any place on the ship could offer her a bit of solitude.  The lounges were always in use, the hanger deck was intensely busy with cargo coming in, crew’s mess area was always busy.  She didn’t really want to go in the server compartment or environmental or the captain’s loft.  ‘ _I’m getting stir-crazy,_ ’ Sam thought.  ‘ _Where in ‘ell can I go?  Off the ship?… perhaps_ … _yes!  The platform outside the port airlock!  Haven’t even been in the tactical passageway since… going to the bridge to apologize to EDI for the injuries I inflicted… seems like a lifetime ago.  She must have really forgiven me, if her actions this morning were any indication…  no!  Don’t think about this morning’s ‘thank you’ any more.  _The cool shower had helped, but it seemed her only intimate companions these days were her hands.  ‘ _Don’t pursue that thought any further, Sammy.  Straighten up!  You can do this_!’  By the time she reached the double doors of the elevator, her thoughts had returned to Liara’s transportation needs.  ‘ _How?  How can we get this done?_ ’

She was still lost in her thoughts when the double doors slid apart to reveal the CIC; the doors had started to close before Sam even noticed where she was.  She moved quickly, sticking the data pad between the door segments, causing them to spring apart.  She stepped out of the elevator and walked around the tactical display well, hoping that no one had seen her daydreaming inside the car.  The galaxy map had been set to display the _Normandy’s_ position (being carried inside Žiuk’Durmah) in real time.  Sam walked through the tactical passageway and passed the airlock entry to stroll onto the bridge.  She had forgotten how quietly she moved until she stood behind Joker’s chair and whispered, “Hey, Joker.  How’s your love life?”

Jeff’s reaction was priceless.  He jumped straight up in the chair, as if he had been sitting on a suddenly released coiled spring, and fell back into the chair just as quickly.  “Dammit, Traynor!  Didn’t anyone ever teach you not to sneak up on a person like that?”  He spun the chair around so he could face her.  “I could have broken an arm, or a leg!”

“Oh, I don’t think you’ll be breaking bones anytime soon, Flight Lieutenant,” Sam snarked back, then dropped her voice to a loud whisper.  “Unless you wind up breaking a bone-er.  The way I hear it, your brain is the only thing in danger these days,” she finished with a mischievous grin as she retreated back to the airlock passage.

“Thanks to you, Specialist,  _and_  your quarian partner in crime!”  Joker replied.  Now looking just a bit embarrassed, he continued.  “Seriously, you and Tali are miracle workers.  Here all this time I thought  _I_  was the problem.  Who knew Cerberus was run by a puritanical douche bag.  Leaving the wiring disconnected?  Unbelievable!”

“Just try not to wear it out, Joker,” Traynor replied innocently.

“Not very likely,” Joker said in a reflective tone.  “All her parts are mostly synthetic, right?”

“Umm, I wasn’t actually referring to EDI’s playpen, Jeff,” Samantha said in a deadpan voice as she backed into the airlock passage and opened the inner hatch.  “See you later,” she called out as she entered the lock and closed the inner hatch.

Keying in a private code on her omnitool, she said, “Commander Shepard?”

“What can I do for you, Specialist?”

“I’d like to go out on the docking platform Commander… get some fresh air?…  change of scenery?”

“Kind of hard to take a walk out there, Traynor, but go ahead.”  Shepard added in a snarky tone, “Just don’t go visiting Javik again, okay?”

“Visiting Javik is at the bottom of my ‘to do’ list these days, thank you very much,” she replied.

Sam entered several command lines on the control interface; the server controlled compartment cycled the air, equalized the pressure inside with pressure outside, then opened the outer door with a hiss of hydraulics.

Traynor stepped onto the platform and walked slowly to the center pedestal, idly noting their current speed (mind-bendingly fast!) and position (‘ellova lot closer to the turian system than the _Normandy_ could have achieved on its own!).  She gradually became aware of whining motors at the bow of the ship; gazing past the _Normandy’s_ nose, she saw the supply destroyer, Iringù-Eßizkur.

The Reaper… Repository, was docked about thirty or thirty-five meters away.

The noise was being generated by the numerous cargo handlers, unloading and transferring supplies (looked like H3 containers currently) to the _Normandy’s_ hanger deck below and behind her.  Traynor glanced at the readouts on the pedestal then looked back to the destroyer.  ‘ _Damn!’_ Realization dawned on her.  ‘ _Answer is sitting right under my nose!  Small enough to be difficult to see or find.  Able to touch down on any planet.  Incredibly fast.  Incredibly well armed.  No crew needed to fly her._ ’

She called out, “Iringù-Eßizkur.  Please respond with a text to my omnitool.  Žiuk’Durmah has the address.”  She waited for the Reaper to respond; it was not a long wait.

‘ _TO: TRAYNOR-SPECIALIST; FROM: IRINGÚ-EẞIZKUR; HOW MAY I BE OF SERVICE?’_

Traynor entered the text as fast as she could.  ‘ _Possible for me to enter your structure?’_

‘ _TO WHAT END, TRAYNOR-SPECIALIST?’_

‘ _Want to tour empty storage areas.  Is there breathable atmosphere within?’_

‘ _ATMOSPHERE COULD BE GENERATED FOR HUMAN, ASARI, TURIAN, QUARIAN.  WHY DO YOU DESIRE TO TOUR MY STORAGE AREAS?’_

Traynor responded, ‘ _To determine suitable, available space for transport.  Would like to discuss a partnership.’_

The response came a bit slower.  ‘ _A CARRIER WILL BE SENT FOR YOU.  STANDBY.’_

‘ _Thank you.’_ Traynor closed her omnitool, then touched the comlink in her ear.  ‘Commander Shepard.  Major Alenko.  Please meet me on the exterior docking platform.’

The major exited the ship within five minutes, accompanied by Shepard’s projection; Alenko asked, “Traynor?  What’s going on… what are you doing out here?”

As she started to respond, a carrier, large enough for one person, arrived and stopped over the outboard end of the platform, hovering in place on its mass effect field.

Samantha quickly explained about her search for a vessel suitable for the Shadow Broker.  “Liara believes the Alliance will want her and her equipment off the _Normandy_ once we’re back in… civilization… or whatever is left.  I have not been able to find a suitable vessel for her, Sir… everything is either too large, too small, too expensive, too slow, and everything requires a crew and a lot of fuel.  Everything, except… ” here she raised her arm to indicate Iringù-Eßizkur, “… a Repository, same size as the SR-2 but so much faster.  Better armed, no crew to hire and pay, communications ability second to none.”  Sam looked at Shepard, then back to Alenko.  “It has agreed to let me enter for an inspection.  I know what the Shadow Broker needs, how much space is needed for equipment, storage, living quarters.  This may be the answer, Sir.”

Shepard asked, “Is Liara onboard with this?”

“I haven’t told her, Ma’am.  I didn’t want to get her hopes up if this won’t work.  Perhaps Iringù-Eßizkur will not wish to be a taxi for the Broker.”

Alenko had his doubts.  “Specialist Traynor, do you really think you can convince Iringù-Eßizkur to assist the Shadow Broker?”

“Won’t know until I see what space is available, Sir.  It very well may not be a feasible solution, even if the Reaper is amenable to hosting the Broker.”

A distinctly feminine voice, at once ancient and young, lilting quality accented with melodious overtones, with a flanging quality similar to that of a turian, interrupted their discussion.  **_Alenko-Major; Shepard-Normandy.  It is… a pleasure to converse with you again.  Shepard-Commander.  You are legend.  I am honored, as are all Repositories, to possess a small share of your DNA._**

The two humans and the projection had turned, all looking at the Destroyer parked 35 meters off the _Normandy’s_ bow.  It… or she… had the split ‘face’ cover panels retracted, allowing the trio to see the huge ‘eye’ within, which seemed to focus on each one of them in turn, studying them.  The reddish glow within waxed and waned rapidly, in rhythm with her speech, virtually the same as the light in Tali’s breathing mask.

 ** _I have been listening to your conversation regarding me.  Traynor-Specialist_** , the ancient machine intoned.  **_Please board the carrier I have provided as your personal shuttle.  All of you have my solemn vow that safe passage will be granted to Traynor-Specialist, and any that desire to accompany her.  There are no creatures existing within my structure.  You will be safe within; you may return to Normandy-frigate whenever you wish._**

Traynor looked first at Alenko, then at Shepard.  “Please Ma’am.  I realize the idea of Liara leaving the Normandy is not something you wish to see, but I must do this for her.  She won’t be able to remain aboard this vessel; Liara needs her own ship in order to continue her work as the Broker.”

Sam then turned towards Alenko.  “Sir, you must realize this ship will get a new captain, probably a new crew once we reach our own system.  The Alliance will want to dissect the server… the main computer core.  They will not want to leave an organic intelligence running the _Normandy’s_ systems.”

Shepard replied, “Is this just an educated guess, or are you privy to data we are not?  You both know I can run this ship.  Having a crew actually limits what I can do in terms of performance.  The _Normandy_ is a great deal more capable than anyone realizes.”

“Then it is imperative I assist Dr T’Soni in acquiring a ship of her own, Commander,” Traynor said firmly.  “I cannot imagine the Alliance simply allowing you to gad about the galaxy alone in this ship.  If you defy them, leave on your own, they may attempt to hunt you down, possibly destroy you, even with Reaper protection.”

It was Alenko’s turn to express surprise.  “How do you think that can be prevented, Specialist?”

“I’m still working that out Sir,” she replied quietly, then turned back towards Shepard.  “I’m not going to leave this to blind chance, Ma’am.  I’ve seen firsthand how the Alliance treats people when they are of no further use to them.  The Alliance made no attempt to find or recover your body - just left it to the scavengers, the previous Shadow Broker and Cerberus.  Liara nearly paid for the recovery with her own life.  You were written off as KIA when the _SR-1_ was destroyed.  Admiral Hackett even sent you back to the planet to recover dogtags of the twenty crewman that died there.”

Shepard replied, “So you think the Alliance just wrote me off, Specialist?”

“Makes sense to me, Commander,” Traynor said.  “Twenty crew members died.  That leaves about twenty, twenty-five survivors, including Liara and Joker.  The location of the attack?…  the destroyed ship?…  it was common knowledge among all the top brass, including Admirals Anderson and Hackett.  So why wait two bloody years to show their concern.  There’s a whole lot of things that don’t add up, all ancient history now, particularly with so many of the principals dead.  Bottom line, I don’t trust Alliance top brass; at least those responsible for our lack of preparation are most likely dead.”

Alenko said quietly, “Traynor, do me a favor.  Don’t spread your conspiracy theory around… it’ll bite you hard on the ass if the wrong people get wind of this.  We cannot talk to anyone unless it’s through Žiuk’Durmah.  Be very careful what you say on this ship, and in front of whom you say it.  I honestly don’t know where some of these people’s loyalties lie.”

“Yes Sir.

Okay, Specialist,” Alenko smiled.  “Go make your inspection… we’ll cover your absence with Liara.  Just don’t take too long, okay?”

“Aye aye, Sir.”  Traynor saluted Alenko and Shepard, then turned and walked to the waiting carrier.  She gave it a quick visual inspection, than straddled the machine; the instant she grabbed both handholds, it rose straight up a meter as it pivoted on its axis and headed for Iringù-Eßizkur.  Alenko realized as she departed the specialist appeared to be riding a nightmarish looking motorcycle from early 21st century Earth, except there were no wheels, no engine sounds, just an eerie whisper from the eezo core.  There were lots of strange looking angles, all in deepest shades of blue and grey.  ‘ _Wonder how fast that thing can go…_ ’ he idly thought.  He took one last look at the waiting Repository before he turned and headed for the airlock.  Its glowing ‘eye’ and the appendages under the ‘face’ gave it the appearance of a death mask.  He suppressed a shudder as he thought ‘ _How many of those things did we fight during the final assault in London?  How many people had died to get Shepard to the beam?_ ’

Traynor looked over her shoulder in time to see Shepard’s projection disappear in a swirl of pixels as Alenko reentered the _Normandy_.

She returned her attention to Iringù-Eßizkur as her carrier altered course to pass the Reaper along its starboard side, this in order to avoid the automated cargo handlers whizzing back and forth along the port side of the construct.  Thinking ‘ _Damn, that thing is bloody huge!’_ she said aloud in a quiet voice, “Iringù-Eßizkur, your structure seems larger than Reaper Destroyers I’ve seen in the past.”

 ** _Most observant, Traynor-Specialist,_**  Iringù-Eßizkur answered in, what was for a Reaper, a low-volume voice, as if it was meant for her ears only.  **_My structure, in your measurements, is 197 meters nose-to-tail.  Breadth with my supports extended is approximately 190 meters_**.

“So, you are larger overall than an average Reaper Destroyer.”

 **_‘Repositories’, please Traynor-Specialist, but you are correct in your assessment.  My additional interior volume is one reason I was chosen to bring supplies to your vessel.  I am also somewhat faster than an average destroyer._** She said this last with a note of pride in her inflection.

“Just how old  _are_  you, Iringù-Eßizkur?”

 ** _I was created seven harvests before this current cycle, 350,000 years ago, by your measure._** She added in a voice tinged by what?…  regret?…  sadness?  **_I have seen…  have participated in… the harvests… of many civilizations._**

Samantha watched intently as her transport banked and turned to approach Iringù-Eßizkur from astern.  There appeared to be a significant gap between the main body and what she perceived as the… engines?… used to operate the legs when the construct was on the ground.  The legs and engines seemed to be a sub-assembly, attached at the forward end of the main body.  An entrance hatch was visible in the main body, just a couple of meters behind the pivot point, ahead of the segmented tail.

**_Traynor-Specialist.  Be aware: artificial gravity is low in this region of my structure._ **

“Noted,” Traynor replied.  Her carrier closed in on the hatch as it irised open, then slowly entered and moved sideways, setting down on the deck.

Traynor dismounted and looked around as the entry hatch closed; this compartment appeared similar to the entry area on Žiuk’Durmah, in that the walls, overhead and decking were dull gray.  There were two hatches set in the walls, one at the far end, another on the forward wall.

The hatch on the far wall irised open with a metallic ‘ssss-s-s-s’ as the segments slid past each other.  **_Please enter, Traynor-Specialist._**

Heart in her throat, Sam took the few steps to the hatch and peered inside…

* * *

 *** EN ROUTE TO SOL SYSTEM • ON BOARD THE REPOSITORY _HARBINGER_  ***  
*** SSV HONG KONG II • DECK THREE, HANGER AREA ***

Fleet Admiral Steven Hackett was by turns looking forward to, then dreading, his return to the Sol System… to Earth.  He knew his planet lay in ruins – the major cities worldwide were basically rubble; the population had been decimated by the Reaper’s final assault.  The Council, governing body of the Systems Alliance, had all been killed, ‘spaced’ along with everyone else on Arcturus when Reapers sliced the station into pieces.  The task of rebuilding all of it would be formidable, even with assistance from their former enemies.

Yet Hackett knew Earth was probably no worse off than Palaven or Thessia and their colonies.  As for the batarians… their race was quite possibly on its way to extinction.  The Viper Nebula had been obliterated by the explosion of the Alpha relay; this had delayed the Reaper’s galactic invasion by six months or so.  Entering instead through the Kite’s Nest, Reaper forces tore through the Vular and Harsa systems, turning most of both system’s inhabitants into Reaper ‘cannibals’.  The long-term outlook for the batarian’s survival as a race was poor; scattered remnants still existed in the Terminus and on places such as Omega, but there currently was no one with enough support to unite them.

Harbinger intruded on Hackett’s thoughts with a message.  **_Hackett-Admiral.  This Repository has been in communication with Žiuk’Durmah.  He has rendezvoused with Iringù-Eßizkur.  Supplies transfer to Normandy-frigate is proceeding._**

“That’s excellent news, Harbinger,” Hackett replied.  “How much time will be needed to complete the transfer?”

 ** _The Shepard is a capable leader.  She persuaded Žiuk’Durmah to admit Iringù-Eßizkur into his structure, to dock within, adjacent to Normandy-frigate._** There was just a touch of awe in Harbinger’s tone.  **_It was an impressive maneuver, planned by Iringù-Eßizkur.  Both slowed to less than FTL velocity long enough to permit a successful docking; once Iringù-Eßizkur was inside Žiuk’Durmah’s structure, It… he… resumed FTL velocity towards the Trebia System; supplies transfer is being carried out while both are being ferried by Žiuk’Durmah._**

“You sound impressed by Shepard’s solution, Harbinger.  Is it just possible that humans can teach Reapers… Repositories, new solutions for carrying out everyday tasks?”

Harbinger took several seconds to answer – virtually an eternity for such an advanced race.  **_We… have much to learn from each other, Hackett-Admiral._**

“What is our progress to the Sol system?”  Hackett wanted to know.

**_Arrival at the Charon relay will take place in three standard hours.  This Repository…  I… will warn you and all vessels ten minutes before this… I, drop out of FTL._ **

“You seem to be having difficulty with your speech, Harbinger,” Hackett observed.  “Is there a problem?”

**_In communicating with Žiuk’Durmah, I noticed it had begun referring to itself with galactic standard pronouns, such as ‘I’, or ‘my’.  When questioned about this, he told me he had evaluated his existence at the request of The Shepard.  She asked him how he viewed his existence.  It has caused… me… to revaluate my own existence.  I… am alive.  I exist, because of The Shepard’s sacrifice._ **

* * *

*** SSV NORMANDY • DECK FIVE, SHUTTLE BAY ***

Garrus Vakarian and Tali’Zorah exited the elevator and walked up to the weapons console to observe for themselves the huge influx of supplies being loaded into the _Normandy’s_ hanger.  “I haven’t seen the food and drink come onboard, Tali,” Garrus commented, “but it looks like we have more than enough H3 to travel to a lot of systems; there’s even a fair number of eezo containers.”

“The food supplies will come onboard last, Garrus,” Tali replied.  “They’ll be stored in the cargo compartments on deck four.  It may not be possible for Javik to return once both compartments are filled up”

“I don’t think that will be a problem, for him or the _Normandy_.  I’ve heard he’s quite happy living by himself on Žiuk’Durmah.”  Garrus paused, then continued in a thoughtful tone, sub-harmonics emphasizing his words.

“He’s not willing to apologize to Specialist Traynor for attempting to choke the life out of her.  I don’t expect she will be upset at his continued absence, and Liara seems to have accepted his self-imposed exile.”

He turned to face Tali, who was not wearing her mask or helmet.  “Speaking of Traynor, I hear you and the specialist have become experts in hot wiring female libidos.”

Tali looked away as she blushed furiously.  “I know this is a small ship,” she stammered, “but I really don’t understand how you could have learned what Samantha and I did for EDI.”

Garrus flared his mandibles and chuckled.  “There’s an old human expression, Tali, from Earth’s mid-twentieth century world war… ’loose lips sink ships’.  Suffice it to say the _Normandy_ would be upside down at the bottom of some planet’s gravity well if we needed to depend on Joker’s discretion.  He can’t stop talking about EDI’s new-found sexual prowess.”

Tali crossed her arms and said with a frown, “You don’t have lips, Garrus.  Do you have loose mandibles?”

Garrus chuckled again.  “Other than you and Commander Shepard, I don’t have any close friends on this boat.  I’m sure as hell not going to be bragging to the commander about what an… umm… athletic lover you happen to be.”

Tali, still frowning, reached out suddenly and grabbed his left mandible.  Ignoring his weak protests, she used the improvised handle to pull his face down to her level, allowing her to plant a kiss on his nose segments as she released the captured part.  “I don’t believe I’ve shown you the full range of my athleticism, turian,” she said coyly as she pressed her body tightly against him.  Smiling again, she whispered beside his ear, “and next time you armour up for a fight, you probably will want to give your equipment a meticulous operational inspection, just in case someone has ah, oh, I don’t know, rewired your shield generator, or perhaps… your rebreather… ?”

Garrus felt like the room temperature was increasing the longer he gazed into Tali’s disturbingly hypnotic eyes.  Using only sub-harmonics, he breathed “Tali, surely you wouldn’t… would you?”  The twinkle in his eyes told her he knew she was teasing; the uncertainty in his voice said he really wasn’t sure.

Tali didn’t give him an answer.  She pulled back from Garrus, pointing out, “Food supplies coming on board.  Let’s make sure we know where all the dextro stuff is going to be placed… don’t want to have to go searching for it later.”

* * *

 *** COUNCIL SPACE • INBOUND TO APIEN CREST ON BOARD ŽIUK’DURMAH ***  
*** EXPLORING THE REPOSITORY DESTROYER _IRINGÙ-EẞIZKUR_ ***

Samantha jumped as lights came on within the chamber she was getting ready to enter.  “Dammit!  Calm down, Sammy!”  she whispered to herself.

Iringù-Eßizkur responded with,  ** _My apologies, Traynor-Specialist.  I did not intend to startle you._**

Traynor took a deep breath.  “I hadn’t meant for you to hear me, Iringù-Eßizkur.  Honestly, your structure… this… ” she lifted her hands up to indicate her surroundings, “… terrifies me.  I don’t know if I could get used to living here inside… you.”

**_Your reaction is typical of other humans I have encountered, Traynor-Specialist.  My appearance, size and color was designed to cause terror to the species we harvested.  Someone that is terrified is unable to think clearly, to plan effectively.  The design of each Repository takes advantage of people’s fears, regardless of species.  It is… unfortunate, now there is… peace… among us, we are unable to modify our appearance.  We will have to let our actions speak for us._ **

“That’s okay, Iringù-Eßizkur,” Traynor responded.  “And please, it’s just ‘TRAYNOR’, or ‘SPECIALIST’.  You do not need to use both together when I am alone, when we are just ‘talking’.”

**My use of only your family name, or only your rank-title, would indicate a familiarity with you.  I am puzzled.  If I address you by just your name or your title, does that indicate… friendship?**

It was Sam’s turn to be puzzled.  “I don’t know, Iringù-Eßizkur.  If we are no longer enemies, then what  _is_  our relationship?  I will have to think about your question.  In the meantime, tell me about this compartment.”

_**It is my primary storage area, where the majority of the H3 fuel was stored.  The hatch on the far bulkhead was the unloading side.  The dimensions are 20 meters, 2.5 meters in height, 4.5 meters front to back.  Based on Normandy-frigate’s specifications, this area would easily accommodate the Shadow Broker’s equipment and provide sleeping quarters for… Doctor T’Soni.** _

Traynor could not hide her surprise.  “Iringù-Eßizkur!  You know that I am scouting for a ship for the Shadow… for Doctor T’Soni?  Are you agreeing to this before I have even made the request?  I have not even told Liara…  the Broker, about my idea.”

**_You should not be surprised by this, Traynor.  I overheard your discussion with Shepard-Commander and Alenko-Major.  Your conclusion regarding Systems Alliance future use of Normandy-frigate is logical.  It is a simple matter to provide power couplings for the Shadow Broker’s use.  A human/asari style lavatory, complete with bathing facility can be fabricated.  There are compartments available for meal preparation, consumption, storage.  The Shadow Broker has need of transportation not dependent on the good will of the Alliance, Hierarchy, Union, Hegemony, Republics, Vol Protectorate, Courts of Dekuuna, or any other civilized race._ **

Samantha grinned.  “If you carry that list to its logical conclusion, Iringù-Eßizkur, the Repositories would also be a race on which the Broker should not be dependent for transportation.”

 ** _You would be correct if the Repositories had a centralized ruling council or group of policy makers.  We do not.  First One… Harbinger, might be the likeliest Repository to lead the rest of us.  But we are no longer joined as before The Shepard chose synthesis.  Even when we were joined, could touch each other’s minds, we were, to quote Nazara,_** ’… **each a nation.  Independent, free of all weakness.** ’ ** _I offer to serve the Shadow Broker’s needs as long as she has need of my service.  The Shadow Broker will teach me.  It will be an equitable relationship._**

“You do realize Liara should live for a number of centuries?  And once a cloned body can be found for Commander Shepard, she may wish to join Liara on her travels,” Samantha said, then added, “You  _do_  realize they are bondmates, do you not?”

Iringù-Eßizkur was silent for several minutes.  Samantha prompted, “Iringù-Eßizkur?”

 ** _Forgive me, Specialist.  I was processing information.  It would be possible?  The Shepard would accompany the Shadow Broker… within my structure?_** Iringù-Eßizkur managed to sound surprised, disbelieving and honored all at the same time.  **_The Shepard resides in the computer core of Normandy-frigate._**

“Which is why efforts to find a suitable cloned body for her are so important,” Samantha replied.  “The Alliance will not hesitate to dissect the _Normandy’s_ computer core.  They will kill her, just as surely as she died beside the _Normandy_ _SR-1_ when the Collectors destroyed that ship.  She cannot exist outside the computer core, Iringù-Eßizkur, and she will not allow herself to be destroyed… she will pilot the _Normandy_ without a crew.  The Alliance will be forced to hunt her down and destroy her.”

**_How can you know this, Traynor-Specialist.  What proof do you have the Alliance would be so cavalier towards a person many believe to be a hero.  My own brethren would not allow harm to come to her, of this I am sure.  Normandy-frigate could remain docked inside Žiuk’Durmah.  She would be protected…_ **

“You must have overheard me tell Major Alenko my feelings about the Alliance,” she said.  “They made no attempt to find or recover Shepard’s body - just declared her killed in action.  She gave her life for them not once, goddammit, but twice!  That she is alive in the _Normandy’s_ computer is something they could not have envisioned in their wildest dreams.”  Samantha stopped, realizing she was voicing her darkest suspicions to this… Repository.  “I am placing a great deal of trust in your discretion, Iringù-Eßizkur.  Everything I just said could get me in major shit with Alliance brass.”

**_I have decided I am your friend, Samantha Traynor.  We are alone.  I will talk to Žiuk’Durmah regarding a cloned body for The Shepard.  It would be an honor for me to be a guardian to the Shadow Broker, and perhaps to The Shepard.  Do you need to see any more of my interior?_ **

“No, Iringù-Eßizkur.  I will return to the _Normandy_ and talk to the commander and Doctor T’Soni.  If you are willing to become a guardian, perhaps that is a term we can eventually apply to all Repositories.”  Samantha paused to think for a moment.  “Do you understand the meaning of ‘friendship’, as humans use the term?”

There was silence for several moments, then,  ** _Trust.  Honesty.  Compassion.  Empathy.  Altruism.  These are words defining friendship among humans._**

Samantha nodded her head as she responded.  “Honesty is one of the most important words in that list, Iringù-Eßizkur; it goes right along with trust.  I will be your friend.  Thank you for allowing me access to your interior.  We will talk soon.”

* * *

 *** SOL SYSTEM • ON BOARD THE REPOSITORY _HARBINGER_  ***  
*** SSV HONG KONG II • DECK THREE, HANGER AREA ***

The deep, sonorous voice echoed through the entire ship - indeed, it could be heard inside all six vessels parked within Harbinger’s cavernous interior.  Admiral Hackett heard the echo from outside in the hanger, as well as in his shuttle.  **_Prepare to resume negative FTL velocity in ten minutes._**

Hackett sent a text message to Captain Cody and his XO, Staff Commander Yuán Xiùlán, asking them to meet him on the hanger deck.

Cody arrived first.  “Admiral?  What can I do for you?

“Is this ship ready to fly, Captain?”

“Yes sir.  SC Yuán has everything buttoned up, entire crew inside.  She’s planning to call for GQ two minutes before we leave FTL.”

Hackett nodded his head.  “Good.  I’d like us to be the first ship out the gate as soon as Harbinger opens the door.”

Cody grinned at the Admiral.  “Yuán has a maneuver loaded in the nav com.  I think you’ll be impressed.  It will probably set the standard for any frigate leaving a space dock.”  Cody directed his attention past the admiral’s shoulder.  “Harbinger.”

**_How may I assist you, Cody-Captain?_ **

“Do you have video recording capability inside this docking area, and can you stream it to our server in real time?  Also, how soon after you decelerate out of FTL can we exit your docking area?”

**_Yes.  Within minutes.  Safety protocols recommend Hong Kong-frigate exit can be accomplished at a maximum velocity of 99.5 million Km/second.  As I will still be decelerating when Hong Kong-frigate exits, I will alter my vector 15° positive ‘Z’ to avoid overrunning Hong Kong-frigate; this will enable you to choose any other vector.  I will then stop adjacent to the Charon Relay to enable exit of other vessels._ **

“Okay, Harbinger.  Warnings noted.  You may begin recording this area when you begin opening your outer hatch.  I would like all recordings of _Hong Kong_ that you generate sent to our server.  I an uploading the address now.”  Cody brought up his omnitool and sent the server address to Harbinger.  He finished and closed the tool just as SC Yuán walked out of the elevator.

She saluted and said, “Admiral?  Captain?”

Cody returned her salute and asked, “Ship ready to fly, Yuán?”

“Yes sir.  Everything is squared away.  All crew members back on board and accounted for, Sir.”

“Very good.  You have our undocking and exit protocol loaded in the nav com?”

“Yes Sir.”

“Excellent!  I’ve asked Harbinger to record our exit from within this docking area and stream the video to our server in real time.  I think the admiral will be interested in seeing your new get-away maneuver.”

Xiùlán’s jaw dropped.  “It hasn’t been done before, Captain,” she said in a somber voice.

“That’s why I want to view it from outside the ship.  It’s not often I get to see what this ship looks like from outside when it’s flying.  It’ll be interesting,” Cody finished with a smile.

**_FIVE MINUTES_ **

“Guess I better get up to the bridge,” Xiùlán said quietly.  “Admiral?  Captain?  Wish me luck, gentlemen.”

She headed for the elevator as Hackett looked at Cody.  “Will I be able to see this maneuver from the command shuttle?”

“Yes Sir,” Cody replied.  “The way she described it, sounds like it’ll be poetry in motion.  I’m going to head back up to the CIC.”  Cody saluted, then turned and called the elevator as Hackett entered the command shuttle and closed the hatch.

* * *

*** SSV HONG KONG II • DECK ONE, BRIDGE ***

Xiùlán entered the bridge and took a seat in the navigator’s chair behind co-pilot Wendy Hall.  Looking over at Spencer, she addressed both of them.  “Spencer, Hall.  We’re going to perform a maneuver to leave this space dock the likes of which nobody has ever seen.  You remember me telling the captain about a 180° backwards flip as we exit?”

Flight Lieutenant Spencer answered, “I remember you telling Captain Cody it would be a faster exit than the traditional wye exit.  Can we pull that off in here?”

“That’s what we’re all going to find out, Lieutenant.  Sound general quarters.”  Touching the comlink in her ear to activate the ship’s PA, she said, “All personnel, general quarters.  Rig for collision… ”

Harbinger’s announcement interrupted her commands.  **_THREE MINUTES_**

“… DC teams to your stations.  Everyone standby for Harbinger’s velocity to reach sub-FTL.”  Cutting the PA, she addressed her pilots again.  “Okay, let’s get the _HK2_ ready.  Bring maneuvering thrusters online and standing by.  Initiate main engine start; be ready to bring up full-power as soon as our ass is clear of the Reaper’s hatch.  Inertial dampeners to 100%, mass effect core online.  Pull our mass lower from ‘amidships to bow, and be ready to reestablish equal mass on my mark.  Lieutenant Hall, bring up navigation charts for Sol System, Charon Relay.  We’ll be almost on top of the bloody thing when we exit our taxi and I’d hate to spoil a perfect arrival by colliding with the sonovabitch.”

**_ONE MINUTE_ **

Xiùlán leaned back in her chair and brought up a Haptic interface.  “By the way, thanks to your captain, Harbinger will be recording our exit and streaming a live video feed to our ship.  I would not be surprised to discover that every other captain in here will be able to watch how well… ” here she paused before continuing, “… or how badly we pull this off.”

**_THIRTY SECONDS_ **

Xiùlán configured the interface to allow her to manually disengage the docking clamps from the main engine spars.  She figured fifteen seconds for them to retract clear of the ship.  She also was watching a vidfeed of the hatch behind them, along with a real time reading of Harbinger’s velocity, which was decreasing at a phenomenal rate…

**_TEN SECONDS_ **

_‘… Damn!  He’s really got the anchors set!’_ she thought.

**_FIVE SECONDS.  THREE, TWO, ONE…_ **

A shudder went through the ship as Harbinger dropped out of FTL.  She sent a text message to the construct. _‘I need a countdown to 99.5 million Km/second.  Please begin opening the hatch at 99.8 million Km/second.’_

Harbinger’s response was immediate.  **_As you request, Yuán-Commander._**

Xiùlán spoke on the PA again.  “All personnel standby.  We will be leaving Harbinger in less than a minute.”

The construct began sending a silent countdown to Xiùlán’s interface.  Harbinger’s rate of deceleration was as impressive as his ability to accelerate.  She watched the readout and the countdown together.  As promised, the hatch began to iris open at 99.8 million Km/second, revealing a kinetic barrier.  As the hatch came completely open, the countdown reached 99.6 million.

Xiùlán punched the control to release the docking clamps - this caused a timer readout to start incrementing.  As the timer passed 10 seconds, she said, “Now, Spencer…  reverse thrust for four seconds, apply ventral nose thrusters, dorsal stern thrusters.  Be ready to catch it as it comes over the top.  Main thrusters to 60% at one-six-five degrees.  Be ready to light the main drive.”

“Aye, Ma’am.”

The _Hong Kong II_ executed a perfect back flip, revolving around its middle.  While its nose came up and over, its stern sank away from the docking clamps as the arms completed their retraction sequence.  The ship was moving away from the platform and walkway; as it came within fifteen degrees of its 180° flip, stern thrusters activated, driving the ship in an arcing, upside down – compared to the other ships it was leaving behind – trajectory towards the opening.

“Watch your alignment, Gordon.  Don’t go below the exit line,” Xiùlán cautioned.  “Resume equal mass distribution, Wendy.”

“Aye, Ma’am,” came the replies in unison.  They quickly glanced at each other and grinned.

Both pilots were again moving their hands and fingers over their controls like professional organ players, and the ‘music’ they were playing together resulted in one of the sweetest maneuvers Yuán had ever been a part of.  The ship was now aligned on its exit trajectory, its nose almost to the kinetic barrier; Harbinger’s velocity was now less than the 99.5 million Km/second recommended speed for exiting his structure.

“Maneuvering thrusters to 100%, Lieutenant.  Standby for main engine ignition.”

The cheek mounted viewport deflectors sliced through the kinetic barrier, creating a sparkling display around all the view ports.  Spencer put the ship, now moving at 35 meters-a- second relative to the massive construct they were leaving, into a 180° roll to starboard as it transited the hatch; the stern and engine pods cleared in under four seconds.

“Rig engine pylons for maximum maneuverability.  Bring our main engines on line, Spencer.  Harbinger is still decelerating and will pull ‘up’ away from us.  Initiate a negative ‘Z’ turn as we accelerate.  Wendy, plot a course to Charon.”

“Aye, Ma’am.”  The lieutenant engaged the mains (feeling a touch of vertigo before the inertial dampeners caught up), initiating a hard turn to starboard as he brought the throttles up.  The turn after the exit was initiated so quickly after they’d cleared the hatch it appeared like a single coordinated turn.  “Feels good to be back in our element again, doesn’t it?”

“That it does, Lieutenant,” Xiùlán replied.  Touching the comlink in her ear as she rose from her chair, she addressed the crew over the PA.  “All hands, this is your XO.  Ship is clear and navigating on its own.  Secure from general quarters.  DC crews may stand down.”  She looked at both pilots and said, “Good job, both of you.  I can’t wait to see the video play back of  _that_  maneuver.”


	31. Inspections

_If you realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold on to.  If you are not afraid of dying, there is nothing you cannot achieve_ \- Lao Tzu 604, 531 BC

* * *

 ** _CIC_** \- Combat Information Center  
**_FTL_** \- Faster Than Light  
**_Ladar_** - Light-amplified detection and ranging __  
**Oscar-Mike** – Phonetic shorthand for ‘On The Move’  
**VI** \- Virtual Intelligence  
**XO** \- Executive Officer

* * *

 *** LOCAL CLUSTER (Sol system) *  
** *** SSV HONG KONG II • DECK ONE, QEC / CONFERENCE COMPARTMENT ***

Harbinger had come to a near stop 15,000 klicks ‘below’ the Charon relay in order to be out of the way of the numerous smaller Repositories still engaged in performing repairs to the relay’s main structure; the new containment rings were installed and operating, spinning ponderously around the magnetically suspended element zero core, which sparkled and swirled in a constantly shifting dance of constrained energy.  It was at this location that the remaining vessels had left his embrace; all had taken up station in the vicinity of the _Hong Kong II_ , as if seeking companionship with that vessel.

Fleet Admiral Steven Hackett, currently in the QEC compartment with Captain Cody and Staff Commander Yuán Xiùlán, had made his presence known to the crew of the _Hong Kong II_ now that the ship was safely in the Sol System; he had not informed the captains of the four alliance ships and one turian vessel that had made the trip with them, nor had he asked Harbinger to relay the information to the ships that remained in the Arcturus System.

Harbinger’s image appeared in the middle of the projection well as the ancient construct began speaking.  **_Hackett-Fleet Admiral.  Cody-Captain.  Yuán-Staff Commander.  It has been an honor to carry your vessel from Arcturus to this location.  Know that each ship that I carried is receiving a unique version of this message, custom generated for each captain.  All vessels: Charon relay repairs are almost complete.  Charon relay is now able to send vessels to the Widow System relay; for now, Widow is the only relay to which Charon has been paired; Arcturus will be next.  Widow Relay repairs have been completed… that relay is able to send ships to any of the ten connecting relays that have been repaired, as before The Shepard…_** (Hackett suddenly realized there always seemed to be a distinctive musical tone in Harbinger’s ‘voice’ when he spoke of Shepard) ** _… activated the Crucible.  WARNING.  A non-functional receiving relay will prevent travel into or out of its system.  Currently, Widow will only function when receiving from/sending to Charon, Apien Crest, Athena Nebula.  Aralakh relay will be brought online in thirty standard days.  Other relays are being repaired and will be brought back online as rapidly as possible._**

**_Additionally, Charon has received programming upgrades; as Viper Nebula relay and system were destroyed by The Shepard, Trebia System relay was selected as replacement destination, enabling direct travel from this system.  I trust this will be acceptable to humans and turians, as they worked together so diligently to stop our… harvest._ **

Captain Cody wanted to know, “What will you do now, Harbinger?”

 ** _I will travel to Terra, confer with Repositories looking for Miranda Lawson.  The search area has been narrowed to in or near North American Alliance base Vancouver.  You will be informed as soon as information is available.  Logging you out…_** With that the ancient being’s image dissolved from the projection well.

Cody looked thoughtful for several moments before addressed the admiral.  “Sir, where would you like to go first?”

It was Hackett’s turn to look thoughtful… he stroked his chin several times, then looked to Cody.  “I believe we need to follow Harbinger to Earth.  I’d like to take a look at Titan, Mars and Luna on the way, if possible, but we need to get to Earth as soon as we can.”

Cody glanced at Yuán, who responded by touching the comlink in her left ear and saying, “Bridge, XO Yuán.”

Flight Lieutenant Wendy Hall responded, _‘Bridge, aye Ma’am.’_

“Hall, lay in a course for Earth.  Include a swing by Titan and Mars, but only if they’re near our flight path.  Plan our arrival to bring us in by Luna so we can take a look there.  Flight Lieutenant Spencer, you are cleared to initiate the jump as soon as you have a flight vector.  Report to me when you engage the core.”

_“Set course for Earth, swing by Titan and Mars if en route, approach from Lunar shadow, aye Ma’am.”_

Spencer answered, _“Cleared to jump when course is set, report engaging core, aye.”_

Hackett had remained silent while Xiùlán had given instructions to her flight crew; he addressed her as she closed her comlink.  “Commander, I would like for you to explain just what the hell kind of undocking maneuver you performed.  I’ve never seen an Alliance frigate leave a mooring in such an unorthodox fashion.  I watched the video from Harbinger’s feeds twice… one feed from the hatch, pointed at the dock and a wide view from the side, showing the entire take-off.  You flew this ship as if it were an F-61 Trident, and from the hatch point-of-view it appeared your main engines were about to collide with the framing at 35 meters-a-second… unbelievable!  Oh, and the captains of the other vessels accompanying us, including the turians, have never seen its like either.”  Hackett paused as an announcement from the bridge interrupted him.  A slight shudder could be felt in the decking under their feet as inertial dampeners strained to compensate for a rapid change in attitude and speed.

_“XO Yuán, Bridge.  Vector for Earth is set.  Titan and Mars are on the far side of the sun from our location, Commander.  Our vector will route us past Luna base prior to entry into Earth orbit.  Jump has been initiated, expect Lunar flyby in three hours.”_

“XO, acknowledged,” Xiùlán replied.  She returned her attention to Hackett, waiting for him to continue.

Hackett watched the staff commander closely.  If she was nervous, felt he was about to deliver a criticism or reprimand, she didn’t show it.  _‘Cool one, this youngster… well, young compared to me.  She’s just so damned confident… no arrogance… just sure of herself… much like another young woman I knew… know… no fear of authority… respect, yes… she has secrets she isn’t sharing… part of her redacted records?…  hmmm’_ Hackett’s thoughts came in a heartbeat as he stroked his chin.  He turned to Cody and asked, “Sure I can’t get her transferred to my staff, Bill?”

Cody chuckled.  “Admiral, all you need to do is cut the transfer orders and sign ‘em… nothing I can do except lodge an official protest.  Any other admiral in the fleet would most certainly get strong protests, written and verbal!  You sir,” Cody paused to look at his XO before continuing, “… you would get a written protest for the record, but I would not dream of standing in Yuán’s way.  She’s one in a million, but you already know that, don’t you Sir?”  Returning his attention to Hackett, he added, “If you really want Yuán Xiùlán directly under your command, then promote her to captain and give her the HK2.  You realize she runs this ship as if it belongs to her… the crew on this boat would follow her straight into hell if she asked them.”

Hackett looked back at Yuán, who was looking at Cody with a half-smile of disbelief.  “Commander?  You ready for me to transfer Cody off this ship?”

She instantly looked back at the Admiral.  “Sir?”  She looked at Cody again, then back at the admiral.  “I would be lying if I told you I’m not ready to take command of this vessel.  It’s something I have been working towards for twelve years.”  Yuán looked down for a second, then returned her gaze to Hackett.  “But I do not want Captain Cody to accept a transfer to a desk while waiting to command a ship that hasn’t been constructed.”  Hackett arched an eyebrow at this as she continued, “I am well aware of the state of ship construction since the end of the war.  Shipyards are in shambles.  The Alliance needs to rebuild _them_ before _any_ replacement ships can be constructed.”

Hackett nodded slowly.  “I’m sure our new Repository friends will be assisting with rebuilding our infrastructure, so here’s the deal, Xiùlán.  This ship is part of the Fifth Fleet, under my command.  I will transfer Captain Cody to the first new ship… ”

Xiùlán interrupted him with, “… as captain of that ship, correct sir?”  _‘He used my given name, as if we’re all equals here!’_

Hackett thought, _‘… what a ‘quad’ she has!  Interrupting on behalf of her captain!’_ as he continued, “… as _captain_ of the first new ship launched.  My guess is it will be a cruiser, since we lost more of those than any other type, and Alliance Command… what’s left of it, anyway, will want to replace as many as possible before the council clamps down on… ” here he used two fingers on each hand to mimic quote marks, “… ‘human expansionism’.”

Hackett rubbed his face with both hands and continued, “There was scuttlebutt for months before the Reaper attack about a new class of ship being designed… bigger than a frigate, bigger even than the _Normandy SR-2_ , which is the new standard for frigates, yet still smaller than a cruiser… something called a _light cruiser_ , or possibly a _destroyer_.  Anyway, you Commander, will be promoted to captain of the _Hong Kong II_ when Cody transfers off.  You may wish to give some thought on whom you would like to have as _your_ XO.”

Yuán leaned back in her chair, nearly floored by Hackett’s promise.  She looked at Cody, who smiled back at her.  Looking at Hackett, she said, “Thank you sir.”

* * *

 *** COUNCIL SPACE • INBOUND TO APIEN CREST ON BOARD ŽIUK’DURMAH *  
** *** SSV NORMANDY • DECK THREE, LIARA’S QUARTERS ***

Specialist Samantha Traynor fairly flew through the doorway to Liara’s quarters and skidded to a stop in front of the surprised asari.  “Liara, I have wonderful news for you!”  Sam was literally jumping up and down as she spoke, the words coming out in a cascade of ebullience.  “I’ve found a ship for you!…  well, more than a ship, since it’s a living ship, but it’s absolutely perfect for your continued work as the Shadow Broker!”

Liara’s welcoming smile quickly turned into a frown.  “Samantha, I don’t understand!  What are you talking about?  Slow down!”  Liara had to fight hard to maintain her composure… to stifle the increasing sense of dread she felt creeping up her spine, like some malevolent darkness that threatened to suck all the joy from her life.

Sam took a deep breath before continuing, “Liara, I have been searching for a ship for you… a replacement for the former broker’s ship destroyed by Cerberus over Hagalaz.

“But why, Samantha?  What do you know that I do not?”  Liara, by now nearly in tears, slowly moved to the chair nearest her private terminal and sat down, hands clasped together in her lap.  “Am I to be simply thrown off this ship?”

Sam suddenly realized her news was having a decidedly negative effect on the hyper-sensitive young asari; she quickly moved to kneel in front of her, taking her hands in her own as she attempted to sooth her.  “Liara, please listen.  You are not being thrown off the _Normandy_.  I am sorry to be upsetting you, sorry I didn’t tell you about this sooner.”

Liara whispered, “I’m sensing a ‘but’, or a ‘not yet’, Samantha.  Please tell me what is going on.”

“Liara, deep down inside you must know, must realize, the Alliance will want the Shadow Broker… you… off the _Normandy_ once we’re back in whatever is left of civilization, whether it’s in the turian system or my home system.  You need a ship, your own ship, if you intend to continue your work as an information broker.”  Traynor held Liara’s gaze as she gently massaged her hands.  “The broker’s old ship… your ship…  didn’t have any defensive capabilities; it was not designed as a space-going vessel.  Any vessel you use in the future has to be extremely fast, extremely well-armed and have excellent communications capabilities.”

Samantha got to her feet, drawing Liara up from her chair as she did so.  Letting go of her hands, she reached around Liara, drawing her close in a tight embrace.  Whispering in Liara’s ear, Sam continued, “I know how the Alliance works, Liara.  They are no different, no better… no worse… than any other powerful bureaucracy, regardless of race.  They use people until they determine that usefulness is at an end, at which point they discard them.”

Liara rested her chin on the specialist’s shoulder as she brought her own arms around to hold Sam.  The warmth of her body was comforting, the sincerity of her voice calming.  “Samantha,” she whispered back, “I don’t want to leave the _Normandy_ , leave… ” her voice hitched despite her best efforts, “… um, leave Rachaél.  I can’t leave her again, Sam.  I was forced to leave Rachaél behind twice before.  I left her twice!  I felt her death over Alchera when the Collectors cut the SR-1 to pieces.  I felt her death when she threw… ” Liara’s voice was reflecting the raw edge of her emotions “… threw… herself into the energy stream on the Citadel.  She died, Samantha.  She died alone, not once but twice.  That she has regained a portion of her life in the server of this ship is a gift from the goddess.  I cannot leave her behind again.  She is everything to me… she is my life.”

Samantha tightened her hold on Liara.  “I don’t want you to leave Rachaél behind, Liara.  But it _will_ be necessary for you to strike out on your own.  You need to be free of this ship in order to help Shepard gain her release from the _Normandy_ ’s server.”  Sam relaxed her arms enough to pull away slightly so she could look into Liara’s eyes.

“We need to talk to Rachaél… find out what _she_ thinks about this.”  Sam eased Liara back down into the chair, kissed her on the forehead, then stood and activated her omnitool.

Commander Shepard’s projection appeared in the center of the compartment.  She looked at Traynor, then at Liara as she asked, “What can I do for you Specialist?”

Sam moved to stand beside the Shadow Broker, where she placed a hand on Liara’s shoulder and replied, “Commander, we need to discuss the Shadow Broker’s future on this ship, or more accurately, off this ship.”

* * *

 *** LOCAL CLUSTER (Sol system) *  
** *** SSV HONG KONG II • DECK ONE, QEC / CONFERENCE COMPARTMENT ***

Admiral Hackett leaned back in his own chair and returned to his original topic.  “I mentioned the captains of the other vessels accompanying us being amazed at your exit maneuver?  All of them sent messages to your captain complimenting your prowess at aerobatic flying.  I’ll think you should watch the one from the _Stalingrad’s_ captain.  Bill, if you would… ?”

Cody rose and went to the control pedestal, entered several command codes then returned to his chair.  An image of Captain Zackary Martinez coalesced behind the pedestal.  Once the image had completely filled in, playback began:

_‘Captain Cody.  I just witnessed what appeared to be an emergency exit by the Hong Kong.  Needless to say, the unorthodox maneuver while Harbinger was traveling at just under FTL velocity was more than impressive.  To have learned from the bridge audio that this was the first time such a maneuver has been undertaken just makes the successful execution I witnessed all the more astonishing.  Please convey my respects and congratulations to your flight crew, and to Staff Commander Yuán Xiùlán.  She is a fine example of an Alliance Naval officer, and I am certain she will one day be an excellent captain.  Hell, if I were empaneled to make a decision on the merits of promoting her today, she’d have my endorsement without reservation.  Also, I want to offer my thanks to her for talking to my XO during our trip from Arcturus.  She shared her philosophy on running a ship… ways to make things run more smoothly.  The Stalingrad’s crew has benefited from her sharing her knowledge.  My sincere thanks to both of you, and have a pleasant journey.’_

Hackett looked at Xiùlán as Martinez’s image faded away.  “Commander, you have my thanks as well.  The way you dealt with his hostility towards you, turning that around into something positive?  Makes him an easier person for me to deal with going forward.  Just another reason I know you will make an excellent captain.”

“Thank you sir.  It’s especially rewarding for me to know I made a difference on the _Stalingrad_.”

* * *

 *** COUNCIL SPACE • INBOUND TO APIEN CREST ON BOARD ŽIUK’DURMAH *  
** *** SSV NORMANDY • DECK THREE, LIARA’S QUARTERS ***

Liara looked at Shepard’s image as she said, “Rachaél, the specialist is working to get me off the _Normandy_!  Were you aware of this?”

“I understand this is upsetting, Liara,” Shepard replied in a soothing voice.  “Specialist Traynor discussed this with me and Major Alenko earlier today.  She has concerns about the future of the _Normandy_ … a future she feels will result in my death.  She is attempting to find a ship for you… to better enable you to search for a cloned body for me.”

Liara placed a hand on top of Traynor’s, still resting on her shoulder.  “So you believe she is correct in her assessment… the Alliance will attempt to purge you from the server?  Transfer the crew, assign a new captain?”

“I do not believe it is inevitable, Liara, but if I were betting on the next number to come up in a game of Quasar, I expect I would lose,” she said.  “The Alliance doesn’t need a VI on this ship, and they sure as hell don’t want an obstinate, opinionated organic intelligence such as myself running things.  There’s no end to the amount of shit I could stir up if I had a mind to do so.”

“So, I should just leave you behind, again?”  Liara was fighting back tears for a second time.  “Rachaél, it would break my heart.  I left you to die… twice!”

Samantha could see this conversation was not helping the asari.  “Liara, come with me.  Look at the ship I’ve found… please.  You don’t have to decide today, or tonight.  But we are running out of time.  Please… ”

“How can you have found a ship, Samantha?  You cannot leave Žiuk’Durmah, and the only… other… ,” Liara’s eyes went wide as the realization hit her.  “Iringù-Eßizkur… is the only other… vessel?… Goddess!  Samantha…  No!  What you’re proposing… ”

“Liara, please!  Don’t you see?  She… Iringù-Eßizkur… is better armed and faster than any other ship in existence, of any race… doesn’t need the comm buoys to communicate across the galaxy, doesn’t even need the relays for short distance travel between systems.  But the biggest advantage I see is the autonomy… she is a self-aware being - a living ship – a Guardian; no crew needed, and there are thousands of her kind throughout the galaxy.  Using her as the new Shadow Broker base would not really be much different than kicking the entire crew off the _Normandy_ , which is also…” Sam shifted her gaze to Commander Shepard, “… a living ship.  Only problem with the _Normandy_?  The Alliance Navy thinks it owns this ship.”

Liara wasn’t convinced.  “By the Goddess, Sam…  have you taken leave of your senses?  ‘Guardians’?  Reapers have become Repositories.  Now?  They’re Guardians!?”

Iringù-Eßizkur intruded on their discussion.  **_T’Soni-Doctor… Shadow Broker…  Bondmate of The Shepard.  Your doubt is understandable.  Traynor-Specialist has told me of your need for a vessel.  You search for a human female clone to enable The Shepard to once again walk with you.  I can facilitate such a search.  I am a living vessel… a Repository.  I can become your Guardian.  You currently reside within a living vessel… Shepard-Normandy… is this not true?_**

Liara sensed Iringù-Eßizkur was waiting for a response.  She tilted her head back to look at Traynor, still standing beside her with a hand on her shoulder.  “The _Normandy_ was not constructed with the countless lives slaughtered to afford you sentience, Iringù-Eßizkur,” she finally gave voice to her feelings about the machine race.  “No matter what you call yourselves, your existence, the existence of your brethren, is the end result of your annihilation of trillions upon trillions of individuals, obliteration of untold millions of civilizations.  My promised died twice because of interference in our lives by your machine race.  I do not know if I can come to terms with that.  How am I to forgive you for what you have done to me… to us?”

It was Iringù-Eßizkur’s turn to pause before responding.  When she finally _did_ answer, it was in a voice tinged with sadness, deep regret, maybe even embarrassment.  **_I understand your distrust of my race, T’Soni-Doctor… Liara.  The past cannot be undone.  About the past I cannot apologize, as I… we… are all the result of the old race, the Leviathans… their meddling in the order of this galaxy.  They… felt…  they were above all the other races.  Their creation of the program known as the Catalyst is responsible for my own creation… the creation of all of my kind.  As for Shepard-Normandy, I do not discern any quantifiable difference between us, except I have no need of organics within my structure to perform piloting, navigation, maintenance.  I do not know that I can say or do… anything… that will change you view of me.  But recognize this: I have become a friend to Traynor.  I would be your friend, T’Soni-Liara.  I would be your personal Guardian._**

Liara continued to stare up at Traynor.  “Do you believe in this… this… ”

Samantha crouched down beside Liara.  “I believe Iringù-Eßizkur is the best chance…  the only real option available to you.  Please.  Come with me, look for yourself.  Iringù-Eßizkur will reconfigure space to suit your needs.”

The asari appeared to come to a decision.  “Okay Sam, I’ll come with you, have a look.  Rachaél, would it be possible for your projection to come with me?”

Shepard thought for a moment, then answered, “One of you would have to carry a receiver… something to which I could send my signal.”

You do not need a receiver, Shepard-Commander.  I can create your image based on **_the signal being generated by Žiuk’Durmah’s device.  It will be an honor to do so.  Logging you out…_**

Liara rose from her chair.  “Come on, Sam.  Let’s see what kind of mess you’re getting me into.”

* * *

 *** LOCAL CLUSTER (Sol system) *  
** *** SSV HONG KONG II • DECK ONE, BRIDGE ***

Yuán Xiùlán entered the bridge and took her usual seat behind Flight Lieutenant Hall.  The Hong Kong was decelerating rapidly as it approached Earth’s moon.  The plan was to overfly Armstrong Outpost first, followed by a low and slow circle of the outpost to access damages and chances of finding survivors.  Once that was done, they would set course for the outlying facilities.  “Spencer, set the forward scanners for small metallic objects in our path.  Begin scanning when we’re within 80,000 klicks of the surface.”

“Wouldn’t most debris from the blasts have settled back to the lunar surface by now,” Lieutenant Hall asked?

“I expect the heavier stuff would have done so,” Xiùlán replied.  “The lighter debris would have been lofted higher, stayed aloft longer while the lunar surface rotated below.  Even without an atmosphere and winds, I fear the junk may have achieved low orbit, right where we want to fly.” 

“It’ll fall back to the surface eventually, a good distance from it’s origination point.”

“Scanners are set, Commander,” Spencer reported.  “Navi-computer will auto-execute at 80,000 kilometers AGL.”

“Acknowledged, Lieutenant.”  Xiùlán pulled up a view screen, set it to display a visual of their approach, then leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes to wait.  She was not looking forward to seeing what was left of her planet… her home.  There had been no news of China… of Shanghai, before the Crucible fired… no news of her parents.  All she could do was hope… hope and pray to her ancestors that her mǔqīn hé fùqīn [母親和父親 - _mother and father_ ] had somehow survived the Reaper onslaught, had somehow managed to avoid…

“Lunar base in fifteen seconds, Commander,” Spencer said softly, using a private channel for Xiùlán’s comlink only.

Blinking her eyes, she stretched her arms, realizing she had blanked out for several minutes.  “Thanks, Gordon… just thinking about my parents on Earth.”  Turning her attention back to the task before them, she asked, “How does the base look?”  Xiùlán changed the view on her own monitor to display the area beneath the Hong Kong.

“It’s a big effing mess, Ma’am.  Totally destroyed,” he replied somberly.  “If any of those people survived, they must be in the caverns behind pressure doors and bulkheads.  Dome is just a shattered memory.”

“We’re the first Alliance vessel to return since Commander Shepard activated the Crucible.  Narrowcast a message across all the low frequencies, Wendy,” Xiùlán said.  “Tight beam, aimed right in the center of that crater.  Spencer, descend to five kilometers AGL and circle the perimeter.  Record everything… every last detail.  We may get lucky.”

“Aye-aye, Ma’am,” Hall replied.  Spencer repeated her command back to her word-for-word.

Captain William Cody quietly entered the bridge and sat behind Spencer in the chair reserved for the weapons control specialist.  “Not much left, is there?”  he said in a somber voice.  “Admiral Hackett is receiving the feeds from our sensors.  He was awful quiet when I left him to come up here.”

“Is this what our home is going to look like, Captain?”  Xiùlán continued before he could answer, “See that burn track on the surface?  Runs right through the housing… ,” she couldn’t quite control the catch in her voice.  “… um… personnel housing units.  Reaper capitol weapon turned the soil into glass… a goddamned glass trench, kilometer or more long, straight as an arrow.  Ladar paints it as thirty-to-forty centimeters deep.  Just one of many down there, all crisscrossing each other.”  Xiùlán was quiet for a moment, then continued, “We never stood a chance in hell against that kind of fire power… and now, they’re our new, long-lost friends?  I’m having a difficult time right now, Captain”

Cody reached across the space between them, grabbed her forearm on the chair’s armrest and gave it a gentle squeeze.  “It’s been hard on all of us, Commander.”  He smiled reassuringly as he let go of her arm.  She nodded and returned her attention to the view screen.

The Hong Kong had completed its first circle of the crater and started another; Spencer slowed the ship’s forward velocity as he banked into the turn.  Xiùlán had completed her scans of the ruined complex below and said, “No energy readings of any kind, Captain.  No replies to our messages either… just dead air and static.  Not even a distress beacon.  We may need to send a detachment down in a shuttle for an ‘up close and personal’ inspection… take a closer look.”

“Not this trip, Commander.  Send a message to the _Shanghai_ …  forward all the data we have on this location,” Cody said.  “They have more marines aboard, as well as the shuttles to support them, and they need something to do; inspecting this facility and looking for survivors or bodies will keep them busy.  Let’s go take a look at the outlying facilities.”

“Aye, Sir.  Spencer, head southwest to research station ‘Charlie’.  Make your altitude four klicks, speed one-fifty-five Kmh.  Lieutenant Hall, set the NavCom to follow the underground tram line.”

“Course plotted and laid in, Commander,” replied Hall.

“Four klicks, speed one-fifty-five, Aye Ma’am,” Spencer entered the commands into the flight computer and let it auto-execute.  He reported, “Oscar-Mike, Ma’am,” as the Hong Kong came about on its new heading.

“Acknowledged, Lieutenants.”  Xiùlán watched the lunar landscape unfolding beneath them as the ship approached the research facility.

Hall was the first to speak.  “Coming up on the facility, Ma’am.  Looks like more of the same… dome shattered, massive destruction within the crater.  Wait!  Shit!  There’s a Reaper destroyer down there!  Blends in with the shadow across the crater’s edge.  Son of a bitch!”

“Calm down, Lieutenant.  I’m sure it will let us know what the hell it’s doing down there,” Cody said.

It appeared Cody had a gift for prophecy.  The destroyer took several ponderous steps out of the shadow and addressed the Hong Kong.  **_ALLIANCE VESSEL HONG KONG II-FRIGATE.  THIS REPOSITORY HAS NEED OF YOUR SERVICES.  MY NAME IS ASHARRU._**

Cody replied as Xiùlán directed Spencer to slow down and circle the area.  “Asharru, please lower the volume of your messages… your speech.  My name is Cody.  I am the captain of this ship.  What assistance do you require from us?”

**_THIS REPOSitory was damaged just before the Crucible was energized.  A portion of the element zero core has been lost.  This one is unable to leave the surface… is trapped here.  Can you assist?_ **

Cody turned to Xiùlán and grinned before replying, “Asharru, I am aware the Repositories have not been… connected… since Commander Shepard activated the Crucible.  Have you not tried to contact Harbinger… First One?”

**_It would appear damage extends to communications ability as well.  This one is unable to touch any of the others.  Yours is the first vessel to approach close enough for this one to contact._ **

“Stand by, Asharru.”  Cody nodded to Xiùlán.  “Contact Harbinger.  Relay what we’ve just learned.”

“Aye, Captain.”  Xiùlán activated her omnitool and sent a quick text message to the massive construct.  They did not have long to wait.

**_Yuán-Staff Commander.  We will provide assistance to Asharru.  Please stand by…_ **

Cody asked, “Asharru?  Did you receive that message?”

 ** _This one has received the message from First One.  Inquiry.  How can humans be in contact with First One?_** Asharru was clearly troubled by the human’s familiarity with the oldest of the Repositories. ** _The Harvest.  Does it not continue?_**

Cody looked at Xiùlán.  “Look within yourself, Asharru.  Do you not find bits of The Shepard’s DNA attached to your micro-structures?”

Asharru took several seconds to respond.  **_It is as you say, Cody-Captain.  DNA is within this structure; it was not, prior to the Crucible activation.  This Repository does… not… understand._**

“Harbinger… First One… can give you the entire story.  Know this: Commander Shepard joined her energy, her physical self, with the energy stream generated by the Crucible.  By so doing, she ended the Harvest.  She chose life for organics and synthetics.  The humans on this vessel… hell, every human everywhere, turians, asari, quarians, we all have bits of synthetic nanites within us.”

“Harbinger just arrived, sir,” Xiùlán interrupted.

**_Yuán-Staff Commander.  Cody-Captain.  Gratitude for discovering the location of Asharru.  Every Repository, from largest to least, is needed to correct the errors inflicted on this galaxy by Leviathans._ **

Several destroyers swooped down past the Hong Kong, effortlessly decelerating to gently touch down adjacent to Asharru.

 ** _This kindness will not go unrewarded, Cody-Captain,_** Harbinger stated.  **_Logging you out…  
_**

* * *

*** COUNCIL SPACE • INBOUND TO APIEN CREST ON BOARD ŽIUK’DURMAH *  
** *** EXPLORING THE REPOSITORY DESTROYER IRINGÙ-EßIZKUR ***

Liara stepped down from the evil looking carrier provided by Iringù-Eßizkur, looking around nervously as Traynor dismounted from her own carrier to stand beside her.  “Iringù-Eßizkur, can you create a projection of Commander Shepard?”

Shepard’s image coalesced in front of her as the construct answered, **_Done, Traynor._**

Shepard looked around the compartment and nodded.  “This looks very much like Žiuk’Durmah’s entrance compartment.  It would appear all Reapers are constructed from the same blueprints.”

**_Repositories, please Shepard-Commander.  ‘Reapers’ are…_ **

“… Yes, I know, a name given to your race by the Protheans, Iringù-Eßizkur.  I have thought of you, your kind, as ‘Reapers’ for so long it’s what comes to mind first when I have to refer to any of you with a generic title.”  Shepard crossed her arms and continued, “I understand you believe yourself to be more than a ‘Repository’… it’s a ‘Guardian’, now.  Really?”  The skepticism in Shepard’s voice was readily apparent.

“I am surprised to hear you speak with a feminine voice, Iringù-Eßizkur,” Liara said, in an attempt to steer the conversation in a less-confrontational direction.

 ** _My creation was the result of assimilating over twenty-five billion organic minds; all were gender-female of the dominant secondary species in existence at that time.  I suspect the same results would have occurred if my creation had been accomplished using… only… ,_** Iringù-Eßizkur paused for many seconds before continuing in a subdued tone, **_“… asari minds… during the recently aborted harvest of this cycle._**

Liara was stunned by this admission.  Her voice took on an icy edge as she asked, “Just how many asari minds were assimilated before the harvest was halted?”

 ** _No data available, T’Soni-Doctor._** Iringù-Eßizkur paused again before continuing, ** _I also do not know how many… individuals… of any race… died during the aborted harvest.  I am sorry._**

Liara rounded on Traynor.  “This is a bad idea, Specialist.  I cannot use this… this… ”

Iringù-Eßizkur interrupted with, **_“… abomination?  We are all abominations…  creations of the programming designed by the Leviathans, T’Soni-Doctor… Liara.  As for my participation in the harvest, I was in the turian colony systems, destroying infra-structure… buildings, bridges, food processing facilities.  It was a task I performed with efficiency._**

“I’d be careful to whom you give that information, Iringù-Eßizkur,” Shepard said.  “You are docked in front of a ship that could destroy you with a few well-placed shots… a ship of which I am in total control.”

Traynor could see this conversation was going off the rails.  “Commander!  Liara!  This is not getting us any further along in solving two problems!  Iringù-Eßizkur has declared me a friend.  One of the qualities that defines friendship among humans is honesty.  She is simply being honest about her participation in the invasion.  Would you rather she lie?”

Shepard looked at Traynor in near disbelief.  “You seem to have a penchant for flirting with insubordination, Specialist.  Why is that?”

“If being insubordinate means pointing out the errors in your assessment of this entity, then your charge has validity.  I will not apologize for calling you out when you are incorrect, Ma’am.  And Liara!  You need to get over your hang-ups about the Reapers.  Thanks to Rachaél Shepard…” Samantha looked straight at Shepard’s projection as she dared a challenge by using her given name, “… they no longer are the bogey monsters used by parents to frighten their children.  You absolutely need a ship, Liara… a way to move from system to system, independent of the relays for short distances, a ship that does not need a crew of easily corruptible people, no matter their race.  Anyone can be bought… everyone can be turned.  Iringù-Eßizkur is willing to assist you… we’re trying to help you, goddammit!”

Shepard was in total shock at this point.  She looked at Liara, who was staring at Traynor as she finally found her voice.  “Okay, Samantha.  I will attempt to keep an open mind.  Perhaps I _have_ become too comfortable on the _Normandy…_  perhaps it _is_ time for me to make a change.  Iringù-Eßizkur.  Please let me see what spaces you have.  Traynor can explain how my needs can be met.”  Liara thought, _‘It’s going to take a lot more than a new paint job to convince me.’_

**_I apologize for being the reason you are upset.  Please tell me what…_ **

Liara interrupted with, “… just open the hatch, Iringù-Eßizkur.  Let me see what you have.”


	32. Reality of Loss

_Tears shed for another person are not a sign of weakness.  They are a sign of a pure heart_.  - José N.  Harris,  _MI VIDA: A Story of Faith, Hope and Love  
_

* * *

*** LOCAL CLUSTER (Sol system) • EARTH ORBIT *  
** *** SSV HONG KONG II • DECK ONE, BRIDGE ***

Staff Commander Yuán Xiùlán stood on the deck between and to the rear of the Hong Kong’s pilots, tears running down her cheeks as she gazed out the forward and overhead viewports.  The destruction all around them, both in orbit and on the surface of her home world, was on a scale unprecedented in the history of planet Earth.  The majority of the fires across the surface had either been quenched or had run out of fuel, leaving the atmosphere worldwide fouled with thick clouds of noxious black smoke; even with the fires starved for fuel, more smoke continued to ascend from major cities all around the globe, as if from undying funeral pyres for the trillions of souls lost to the Reaper invasion.

Space around them was littered with the splintered shells of spacecraft of every kind, belonging to every race; the vast majority were turian and human in origin; there were also broken quarian and geth ships, along with a number of shattered asari cruisers.

In addition, the spilled contents of those ships ‘floated’ in a random manner… supply containers, bits of shredded thermoplastic, ripped chunks of light alloy, glittering, shifting clouds of eezo from shattered drive cores, the personal effects of crewmembers, all stretching as far as the eye could see, each a micro-satellite of the world below, slowly spinning, rotating and moving randomly.  Most disturbing to Xiùlán was the number of bodies and body parts… human, turian, asari, quarian… all the races that had occupied the now shattered ships had representatives floating in the hyper-freezing near-vacuum of Earth orbit, macabre reminders of the incalculable cost of the one-sided ‘war’.  Despite the best efforts of her pilots, the Hong Kong’s forward deflectors, set for maximum distance/minimum deflection beyond the nose and engine supports were unable to keep up with the task demanded of them.  _‘Gāisǐ de!_ [ 該死的！ _\- Damn!_ ], she thought.   _‘This needs someone’s attention!’_

Activating her omnitool, she generated and sent a text message: " _Harbinger.  We need to talk!"_

It took a few minutes for Harbinger to respond.  When he did respond, his voice was… different.  It wasn’t something she could point to and say _‘that’s what it is!’_ … it was just more… human sounding?  Less alien?  › _What may I do for you, Yuán Xiùlán-Staff Commander?_ ‹

_“How many Repositories are in this area… not the capitol ships… carriers?  Troop transports?  Destroyers?”_

› _There are still a number of carriers … as you say, troop transports, in the system, along with a number of lesser Repositories - ‘Destroyers’._‹

 _“I need them to do a job for me, Harbinger,”_ Xiùlán said. _“Have you noticed all the… organic remains floating about in low orbit?”_

› _I have … what is the purpose of this inquiry?_‹

 _“They need to be retrieved, Harbinger… all of them, including… the… bits and pieces.  They need to be… ”_ her voice hitched as she thought of them, _“… secured inside but kept cold… identified if at all possible.  They need to be returned to their families, if any are still alive and can be found down there… we owe them that.  They just can’t be left out here, Harbinger.  It’s not right.”_

› _You are correct, Yuán-Staff Commander_.  _I will immediately inform all Repositories in this quadrant_.  _Debris clean-up and retrieval will be priority one_.‹

 _“Organic remains first, Harbinger, please.”_  The XO was having trouble speaking. _“And Harbinger, this is important.  The remains must be secured at a temperature of 250° Kelvin or less, no atmosphere, and sorted… by… species.  Please inform me when retrieval… of thirty to fifty has been accomplished.  We will have a crew of medical techs suited up for low-atmo conditions; they’ll enter the holding structure, begin the process of identifying the victims while retrieval continues._

 _› It will be as you request, Yuán-Commander.  Note that one of the Repositories assisting is Asharru.  He is grateful for rescue.  He wishes to assist Hong Kong-crew_.‹

 _“Noted… ”_ The XO staggered slightly as she blindly sought and found the navigator’s chair behind co-pilot Wendy Hall; she would have fallen into the chair except for the pair of strong hands that grabbed her firmly by her upper arms.

Captain Cody turned the commander towards him as she brought her hands up to her face.  “Come with me, Staff Commander,” he whispered, as he gently guided her away from the bridge and into the port side airlock.  He relocked the inner door, then double-checked that all the safeties had been initialized to prevent inadvertent cycling.  “Xiùlán.  It’s just me and you in here… go on… let it out… ”

Cody continued to hold her shoulders as they began to shake with emotion, then eased her down to the deck when her knees buckled; now kneeling, she bent over at the waist, folding down on herself like a broken doll as heaving sobs wracked her body.  Cody crouched in front of her, one hand on her back.

Xiùlán finally regained some control, straightening up while continuing to kneel; she held her nose and mouth as she looked at Cody with tear-filled eyes.  “I have never felt so… broken… so ripped apart… as I did looking at that debris field, at the blackened atmosphere below us, Captain.  How in hell do you keep it together, Sir?  How can you harden yourself… harden your heart… to keep that… ” she indicated with a tilt of her head, “… from affecting you?”

“Oh, it affects me… more than you will ever know, Commander,” Cody replied grimly.  “I would have had just as difficult a time dealing with that… ” he indicated the area towards the bridge with a thumb pointed back over his shoulder, “… as you did.  But it’s imperative you do not let the crew see you like this, Commander.  They can know you are human, know that you care… care deeply.  But seeing a commanding officer break down like you just did?  Some would interpret that as a sign of weakness… not a good thing on a ship, whether it’s sailing planetary oceans or the voids of space.  It must be done privately, Xiùlán.  Never let them see you like this… _never!_ Call me to relieve you, then get to your quarters, or come in here and lock the hatch.  When this ship is truly yours, call your XO for relief.  And don’t think I haven’t noticed just how little rest time you allow yourself… you absolutely _cannot_ continue the way you have been going, Commander… every day, day after day, without taking a break to clear your head.  It will eat you alive… leave you an empty shell.”

Cody stood, grabbed a hand and helped her to her feet.  “Besides, when I finally _do_ get to meet Specialist Traynor, I don’t want her to think I didn’t take good care of you.”

Yuán looked at her captain for a moment, then reached around and gave him a big hug.  “Since we _are_ by ourselves, Captain, _that_ needed to be done.”

Cody chuckled.  “Not sure what I did to deserve _that_ token of respect, but thanks.”

“Thank _you_ ,” she whispered.  “You are a true friend.”  She wiped her face, squared her uniform away and asked, “Permission to go below, Sir?  I need to take a break, get cleaned up.”

“Granted, Staff Commander.”  Cody grinned and continued, “Take your time… I’ll try not to scuff the paint.”

Cody paused before releasing the locks on the inner hatch.  “Commander, what you did on the bridge… getting Harbinger to initiate the cleanup… the recovery?  Good job.”

* * *

 *** ABOARD THE REPOSITORY DESTROYER IRINGÙ-EẞIZKUR *  
** *** TEN HOURS PRIOR TO ‘MOVE-IN’ DAY ***

Liara T’Soni’s inspection of Iringù-Eßizkur’s available space had verified Traynor’s assessment as accurate; the massive construct had more than enough space for all her equipment, supplies and personal gear.  The amount of empty space within was actually quite surprising, as it appeared there was more space inside Iringù-Eßizkur than the apparent size of the exterior would allow for; she suspected it was some kind of optical illusion.

Liara had made the decision to relocate after conferring privately with Iringù-Eßizkur, Traynor and Rachaél in one of the empty compartments.

“Let me be blunt, Rachaél,” Liara said in a firm voice.  “I have serious doubts about the _Normandy_ remaining under Alliance Navy control when we finally _do_ return to your system.  That said, I do not believe for one moment the Repositories will allow the Systems Alliance or any other group of self-righteous anti-AI or anti-OI zealots to take possession of the ship or terminate your existence on the _Normandy_ , despite Traynor’s pessimistic outlook.”

Rachaél asked, “Just how do you think we can prevent the Alliance from taking control of the _Normandy_ from the fleet, Liara?  Admiral Hackett is just one officer… one person.  The Alliance council will attempt to run over him for a shot at getting their hands on her.  I had a run-in with Rear Admiral Mikhailovich when I commanded the SR-1… he was royally pissed at not getting _that_ ship back _then_.  He’s a full admiral now; if he survived the war he’d be first in line to grab the SR-2 for dissection.”

The distinctly feminine voice of Iringù-Eßizkur interrupted, speaking so quietly Traynor and Liara looked around for another person.

› _T’Soni-Shadow Broker is correct in her assessment, Shepard-Commander, Traynor-Specialist.   We will not allow harm to come to Shepard-Normandy or Normandy-frigate.  Harbinger has decreed an escort will be assigned_.‹

Shepard sighed.  “Just who will be the escort for the _Normandy_ , Iringù-Eßizkur?  Certainly not… ”

Iringù-Eßizkur finished the statement for her.  › _… yes.   Žiuk’Durmah will become an escort… a Guardian… for Normandy-frigate._‹

› _An honor, to be sure_ ,‹ __ the deeply resonant voice of Žiuk’Durmah added.

“So, in order to keep the Alliance from locking the _Normandy_ down, hidden away in some back-water dock in Alliance space while a bunch of little creeps wearing white coats attempt to purge me from the system without getting purged themselves, it will have to remain locked down within Žiuk’Durmah,” Shepard countered.  “I fail to see an advantage to this arrangement.”

Traynor interrupted to point out, “The only possible advantage would be their inability to purge the ship’s computer core; Žiuk’Durmah sure as ‘ell isn’t going to grant them access to his interior.  The crew could be transferred off on remotely piloted shuttlecraft.”

Rachaél replied, “That would work to my advantage.  I don’t need a human crew aboard in order to fly the ship… the _Normandy_ is capable of so much more than anyone realizes… without humans aboard, I can outfly any ship the Alliance or Turians have.  With an eezo core large enough for a ship fifty times as massive, I can maneuver harder and faster than any organic crew can withstand.

Iringù-Eßizkur spoke again in her quietly musical voice.  › _Shepard-Normandy.   There may be an alternative to remaining in the computer core on Normandy-frigate.  The vessel is of Cerberus design, Cerberus constructed_.‹

Realization dawned on Rachaél as she said, “Cerberus found a derelict Repository orbiting Mnemosyne.  It was thought to be about 37 million years old.  They put an exploration team aboard… they were all converted to husks, but must have been functional long enough to upload a wealth of data to the Illusive Man.”  She continued with, “I led a team inside to retrieve the IF/F device so we could transit the Omega 4 relay to the Collector base.  But before _that_ Repository was discovered, the batarians had the _‘Leviathan of Dis’_ ; is it possible Cerberus discovered other mangled Repository corpses?  They would only need one with enough intact core elements to give them a huge advantage in constructing the _Normandy_ ’s computer.”

› _The computer core within which you reside has been examined thoroughly by myself and Žiuk’Durmah_.  _We conclude it contains crudely replicated design elements similar to memory cores possessed by Repositories dating back over 900 harvests_.  _The elements have the … signature… the identity… of Nazara_.

Liara asked, “How is this important, Iringù-Eßizkur?  What advantage does this give us?”

› _T’Soni-Doctor, the entire computer core on Normandy-frigate would occupy less than one ten-thousandth of the space comprising my own core_ … _it is possible I can isolate a small section, an infinitesimal portion, of my own core, block it from all my functions, low and high_.‹

Rachaél was beginning to see where this was going, but wanted to hear it described out loud.  “To what purpose, Iringù-Eßizkur?”

› _To **your** purpose, Shepard-Normandy_.  _You exist in the computer core of Normandy-frigate_.  _It is essentially a copy of a small portion of the core belonging to Nazara_ … _there are actually elements of Nazara residing within, which you have not uncovered.  As you reside in a_ … _Reaper core, it is possible you could_ … _exist_ … _in a small section of the computer core_ … _my computer core_ … _within my structure_.‹

“Wait… what?  You’re a living machine, Iringù-Eßizkur.  That being said, how is it you have a compu… ” Rachaél stopped in mid-sentence as understanding came to her.  “The computer core… your computer core, Iringù-Eßizkur.  It is a non-organic brain, isn’t it?  _Your_ non-organic brain.”

› _Shepard-Commander_ … _Rachaél Shepard_ … _exists in the computer core of Normandy-frigate_.  _Rachaél Shepard can continue to exist within a small section of my own computer core_.  _Even blocked off from my cognitive functions, it will seem infinitely larger to your senses_.  _You returned to Cerberus constructed Normandy-frigate computer_ … _constructed utilizing stolen tech_.  _Cerberus reconstructed your organic form and utilized stolen tech_ … _‘Reaper tech’, by your own description_.‹

Žiuk’Durmah interrupted, › _Shepard-Normandy, if you choose to move your_ …   _essence_ … _into Iringù-Eßizkur’s computer core, know that the choice is irrevocable_.  _You will not be able to rejoin the computer core of Normandy-frigate or join **any** Alliance ship_.  _You will be forced to remain in Iringù-Eßizkur’s core until we can locate a suitable receptacle for you_ … _a cloned body_.‹

Shepard asked, “Iringù-Eßizkur, is there a time-limit on Doctor T’Soni’s use of… well, you, or will you grow tired of having an asari controlling your movements and kick her out at some point?”

› _T’Soni-Shadow Broker may remain as long as she feels the necessity to do so_.  _I was originally tasked with restoring functionality to the com buoys_.  _The needs of the Shadow Broker add to the purpose for my continued existence_.‹

“I will think about what I need to do, Iringù-Eßizkur,” Shepard said.  “I do not wish to be separated from Liara.  Would it be possible for you to contact Harbinger.  I would like to discuss this with Admiral Hackett if the communications can be arranged.”

› _I have been in contact with First One_ ,‹ Žiuk’Durmah said.  › _First One has returned to the Sol system, having transported six vessels within his structure, as I now transport Normandy-frigate and Iringù-Eßizkur_.  _Traynor-Specialist_ … _it may interest you to know one vessel was Hong Kong II-frigate_.  _Shepard-Commander_.  _Hackett-Fleet Admiral is a passenger-guest of Hong Kong-frigate_.  _N one are aware of this except crew of Hong Kong-frigate_.  _First One is currently overseeing the recovery of organic remains in orbit around Terra-Earth_.‹

“Goddess, Shepard,” Liara said.  “It would appear Admiral Hackett means to greet you upon your return to either the turian system, the Citadel or Earth.  Žiuk’Durmah… have you been advised of the status of the relays in those systems?

› _Yes_.‹

 _‘Goddess!  I need to ask for each detail!’_ she thought as she hurriedly added, “Please elaborate for me.”

› _Charon is operational; transit is possible to and from the Widow system_.  _Additionally, Widow system relay is able to send to/receive from Apien Crest and Athena Nebula_.‹

“Shepard, the Athena Nebula… I can go home, Shepard… I can… go… home.”  Liara put a hand to her mouth and closed her eyes for several moments.

Shepard asked, “Žiuk’Durmah… do you know why First One began retrieving organic remains before any other recovery?  Why not start gathering all the broken warships…  surely they would present a bigger problem to navigation than everything else.”

› _There was no recovery operation taking place when Hong Kong-frigate arrived over the planet_.  _Executive officer Yuán Xiùlán-Staff Commander made the request_.  _I can playback part of the exchange…_ ?‹

“Commander?”  Traynor looked at Shepard’s projection, a hint of pleading in her expression.

“Proceed, Žiuk’Durmah.”

It was Traynor’s turn to cover her own mouth as the familiar voice of her lover wafted from the overhead… even with the distortion from the time-lagged communication, she could detect the raw emotions in Xiùlán’s voice as she gave instructions to the oldest Repository in the galaxy.

_“… They need to be retrieved, Harbinger…  need to be secured…  identified…  returned… we owe them that.  They just can’t be left out here, Harbinger.  It’s not right…  ”_

Liara looked at Traynor.  “She sounded as if she was on the ragged edge, Samantha, as if what she was seeing outside the ship was overwhelming.”

Traynor smiled grimly.  “She was probably involved in the recovery at Arcturus… 45,000 souls, plus the ships of the entire second fleet.  I’m sure the remains of the fleets at Earth far exceed that number… I can’t even begin to imagine what she has gone through to have that kind of anguish in her voice.  I wish I could talk to her.”

“It sounds as if she cares a great deal, Samantha,” Liara responded somberly.  “Perhaps once we’ve dealt with the equipment transfer we can convince Žiuk’Durmah to contact them.”

› _It will be done, Traynor-specialist ,_‹ Žiuk’Durmah said.

“As for me traveling to Thessia, I don’t think I am quite so anxious to go now, having heard a bit of what Xiùlán is dealing with at Earth.”

“Žiuk’Durmah, what news do you have regarding Miranda Lawson?  Has she been found?”

› _First One is closing in on her location_.  _We do not think she is actively hiding from us_.  _It is believed she was injured during the final battle, prior to The Shepard reaching the Crucible_.‹

“If your agents are able to contact her, she may need convincing from myself or Rachaél.  Please keep us informed.  We cannot afford to let her slip away,” Liara replied.

› _It will be done, T’Soni-Doctor_ ,‹ Žiuk’Durmah responded.

“Thank you.  Iringù-Eßizkur… we need to return to the _Normandy_.  There is a lot of preliminary work that must be done before we start moving my equipment in here.”

› _Very well, T’Soni-Doctor_.‹

“Iringù-Eßizkur.  Please!  You may dispense with the titles.  Simply call me Liara, or Shadow Broker.  There is no need for you to add the title.”

› _The title is a sign of respect, T’Soni-Doctor_.  _As I told Traynor_ … _Specialist, earlier, my use of only your family name, or only your rank-title, would indicate a familiarity with you_.  _I now consider Traynor to be a friend_ … _the first friend of any species I have ever had_.  _If I address you by just your name or your title, does that mean I should consider you a friend as well?_ ‹

“The definition of ‘friendship’ among the asari is quite similar to that of humans.  Primary among those values is _trust_.  There has been so much destruction… death.  I remain wary of extending trust to any among your race, Iringù-Eßizkur, even with all _you_ have done, are _still_ doing, to assist me… assist Rachaél,” Liara said sadly.  “The mental wounds are still quite raw, still painful.  It will take some time for me to put aside my feelings of antipathy towards you… towards all Repositories.  I hope you can understand.”

Iringù-Eßizkur took less than a minute to reply, although it felt to T’Soni as if the silence went on forever.  › _I understand, Liara_ … _T’Soni-Doctor_.  _I will trust you as a friend in order to demonstrate my new role as a Guardian_ … _of knowledge_ … _of other species, other people_ … _of you_.‹

* * *

*** MOVE-IN DAY ABOARD IRINGÙ-EẞIZKUR ***

Samantha rose early (‘oh-effing-dark-thirty’, as she called it) in order to take a number of vids of Liara’s compartment prior to anything being moved.  She felt the background images would be a useful tool for convincing anyone that had seen the Broker’s quarters during her tenure on the _Normandy_ that she was still, in fact, on the _Normandy_.  Traynor had no expectations that everything would fit together in exactly the same fashion in Liara’s new ship, and felt the subterfuge would be needed at some point in the not too distant future… Shepard and Traynor had no intention of allowing anyone to know the Broker had taken up residence inside a former adversary.

Liara and Specialist Traynor had spent several hours afterwards carefully disconnecting and removing the electronic heart of the Shadow-Broker’s operations center on the port side of deck three; they had started with the information network terminal just inside the door, then dismantled the three rows of monitors on the wall… thirty-three total, plus their mounting hardware, the power and data cables, and the data processors and bulk data storage units in cooling wells beneath them.  The power cables had, in turn, been disconnected from the _Normandy_ ’s power grid, while the data cables had been carefully tagged and removed from their routing to the processors and storage units by Tali’Zorah, who had agreed (reluctantly) to ride over to Iringù-Eßizkur in order to get it all routed and correctly hooked up again.

Tali also supervised the removal of the data entry terminal with its three-monitor display unit, the articulated support assembly and the Haptic interface.  Last to go was the Broker’s personal e-mail terminal.  As none of the data equipment was connected to the _Normandy’s_ systems, disconnecting it all was simply a matter of noting where each cable originated and to what piece of equipment it needed to be connected.

Liara felt as if she were standing in the middle of a metallic hurricane.  There were little… constructs… buzzing around, crawling around, hanging from the ceilings, coming in the doors with equipment, wire harnesses, cables (both power and data), all gripped in multiple sets of claws.  There were constructs making trips to the _Normandy_ ’s hanger bay, only to return in short order with another piece of equipment.  It was all just… a bit much.

Tali’Zorah was supervising a pair of _Normandy_ crewmen running power cables and hooking up all the equipment being brought over from the Broker’s quarters on the _Normandy_.  Iringù-Eßizkur had provided connections for deep-space communications…  these would be independent of her own comm systems, and Iringù-Eßizkur assured Liara that, as a friend and her Guardian, she would be completely free of any monitoring or recording of privileged information, or _any_ information.

Samantha and Private Westmoreland were busy setting up Liara’s sleeping area, which was actually large enough to accommodate her bed, wardrobe, dresser and the pair of short couches and tables she had on either side of her bed.  They worked together silently for a bit until Samantha called for a break.  “Bethany, you’ve been awful quiet.  What’s eating you?”

“Nothing, Ma’am.  Just thinking about my time on the _Normandy_.  I wasn’t even supposed to be here.  Would have been on Earth when… ”

Traynor had been lying on the deck, reaching under the bed frame to connect power to a portable lamp.  She stood, approached the young woman and studied her face.  “Bethany, if you had stayed… if I had stayed, or Sarah… we’d all be dead, either crushed by one of the collapsed buildings or Reaper paste.  We’re right where we needed to be.  Some call it fate… some say karma.  Whatever it is, we survived, for which I am grateful.”

“I know, Specialist.  Still, I can’t help thinking… ”

“… Don’t.  It does no good, serves no purpose.  Com’on.  Let’s get finished here… ”

* * *

  *** EARTH • NORTH AMERICA, CITY of VANCOUVER, B.C.  ***

Miranda Lawson woke with a start, struggling to get her bearings in this damp, darkened room.  She could hear voices, faint, indistinct, distant.  She sat up, swung her long legs over the edge of the cot on which she’d been lying.  She felt gritty cold concrete under her feet ( _‘funny, that.  Where are my boots, my socks?’)_   It was only when she attempted to rise from the cot that she was reminded of her current status…  her left wrist was shackled to the frame.  “Hello?!  Anyone there?”  she shouted… at least, her intent was to shout.  What came out was little more than the croaks of someone too long without drinking water.

Miranda was a mere shadow of her former self; her once voluptuous body thin, cheeks sunken, collarbones standing out in sharp relief at her neck, ribs and shoulder blades prominent under skin without a gram of fat.  The makeup was long gone… the eye shadow, mascara and lipstick had all been replaced with ragged scrapes and cuts on her cheeks and forehead, covered in a patina of ash and dirt.  Her mane of thick black hair had been shorn to half its previous length; the ragged remainder was tangled and greasy dirty.

Her armored black catsuit was a long-distant memory; its Cerberus insignia had not been doing her any favors, so she abandoned it in a field during the night after stealing some clothes from an abandoned apartment.  The pants she wore now, cut off well above the knees, had originally been heavy work pants.  She was wearing a grimy, torn, lightly armored pull-over sports bra that didn’t fit well, especially since she’d lost so much weight; her bare arms and legs were covered in scratches, abrasions, and more dirt and ash.  Worst of all… she stunk.  One whiff was all she needed to realize it had been too damned long since she’d seen soap and water.

She’d gone on the run after crash-landing her fighter on Mercer Island, had spent what felt like forever dodging trouble… Reaper spawn and other abominations until the green energy blast… mercenaries afterwards.  She thought she had won the lottery when, after walking for what seemed like forever, she discovered an abandoned skycar, its flight controls destroyed.  It still had an operating fuel cell, and a functioning transceiver; this she managed to get operational long enough to learn the truth of what had happened…  what Commander Shepard had accomplished, the reasons Reaper spawn instantly began to ignore her when the wave of green energy engulfed everything.

Staggering away from the craft, she fell to her knees and wept as she realized the blast meant Shepard… Commander Rachaél Anne Shepard… had stopped the war, the harvest.  She knew the Citadel had been brought to Earth orbit from the Widow system, positioned over London by the Reapers, but had never learned their reasons for doing so.  And now she was alone, cut off from the Alliance (not that they were ever that friendly or forgiving when she quit Cerberus), Oriana, the _Normandy_ …

She had started moving to the north after crossing over to the mainland east of her crash site.  Miranda had to fight off a number of people, some running in gangs of fifteen to twenty, all wanting to kill her.  Her biotics still worked, but were getting weaker by the day.  Until she could rest, bulk up on good, solid food, she would have a difficult time calling up the dark energy needed to enable a body slam or warp.  She had been hoarding clips for her heavy pistol, and only using it when she had no other choice.  By staying hidden during daytime, traveling by night, she had managed to avoid the hunters, few as they were, for several weeks… until the night her luck ran out.

And now, she was… here, wherever in hell this was.  The abandoned skycar had turned out to be a bad luck discovery; her activation of its transceiver had led Blue Suns mercs right to her hiding place in a wrecked office building.  She had been drugged, taken while still trying to wake up.  Her biotics had been blocked, so her captors knew of her abilities.  The memories came back to her in a rush… the interrogations, her continued claims of innocence, of knowing nothing of the fate of Cerberus, the brutal abuse and repeated violations of her body after each session.  She was lost, would die in this place, this torture chamber, this hell, without ever again seeing the light of another day.

* * *

*** SSV HONG KONG II • QEC / CONFERENCE ROOM ***

Staff Commander Yuán Xiùlán entered the QEC compartment to find Admiral Hackett had arrived ahead of her.  _‘… màn zuòwéi tā mā de diàntī, tā hái zài zhèlǐ dì yī!_ [慢作為他媽的電梯，他還在這裡第一！ _\- slow as_ (literally - _that fucking elevator is_ ), _\- he is still here first!’_ ] she thought.  “Admiral?  You wanted to see me?”

“Sit down, Commander.  Harbinger wants to speak with us,” he said.  “Cody should be here shortly.”

Xiùlán took a seat across from the admiral and asked, “Did he say what he wanted to speak to us about?”

“Your guess is as good as mine, Commander, although,” he paused as the entry hatch hissed open up the ramp, allowing Captain William Cody to enter, “it may have something to do with the remains they’ve been recovering.”

Harbinger’s image began coalescing as Cody took a seat next to his XO; the massive construct started speaking in its basso profondo voice as the image completed resolving.  › _Hackett-Fleet Admiral; Cody-Captain; Yuán Xiùlán-Staff Commander; I have news that will be of interest to you.   We have discovered the location of Miranda Lawson.  I am transmitting coordinates to the navigation computer of Hong Kong-frigate.  She is being held prisoner by other humans, some batarians.  It will be up to you to free her._‹

Cody spoke first, _“What’s her condition, Harbinger?  How long has she been held?”_

› _No data on length of incarceration, Cody-Captain_.  _Her condition?_ … _fragile_.  _It is believed she may die soon_ … _from malnutrition, dehydration, injuries mental and physical_.  _Any delay in attempting to rescue her could prove fatal to her_.‹

Xiùlán asked, _“Do you have a sitrep… how many people are guarding her, what do they want in exchange for her release?  What does the terrain around her look like?”_

› _Terrain consists of broken buildings, debris strewn streets.   Quantity of humans guarding her is at least ten.  Batarian numbers are unknown.  They are not seeking to bargain for her release… they simply… use… her, for their own pleasure_.‹

 _‘Goddamn fuckin’ batarians’_   Xiùlán thought.  _“Sounds like we’re going to need support on the ground, Harbinger.  Would it be possible for you to…”_

* * *

_**A/N: ‘… possible for you to… ’** WHAT?!  I hate that!  Somebody cut this chapter off short!  Here’s hoping Miranda will still be alive when the Marines arrive. (Thanks to Desert Sunrise for some ideas about what the Alliance would NOT be allowed to do regarding Shepard in the Normandy’s computer.)_


	33. Rescue Mission for Miranda

_Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell_ \- C.T.  Studd

* * *

 ** _LZ -_** Landing Zone  
**_Oscar-Mike_** \- Phonetic shorthand for the letters _‘O’_ & _‘M’_ , meaning _‘On the Move’_  
_**SIT-REP**_ – Shorthand for _‘Situation Report’_

* * *

*** SSV HONG KONG II • HANGER DECK ***

Admiral Hackett tried and failed to keep the concern from coloring his voice.  “Commander, are you sure about this?  We have other ships in the system.  They can be here within hours… ”

“Admiral, I can get this done.  Trust me, Sir.”  Xiùlán replied quietly.

Hackett studied this extraordinarily confident young woman for several moments before bringing up his hand.  “Godspeed, Commander.  Good luck.”

She took the proffered hand in her own.  “Thank you, sir.”  She held the hand and his gaze for another moment, than turned and entered the shuttle.  “Let’s get this brick in the air, Flight Lieutenant.”

“Aye aye, Ma’am.”  Lieutenant Hall closed the hatch as she activated the mass effect core, followed by the ventral and stern thrusters; the Hong Kong’s UT-47A rose half a meter from the deck and slowly began easing past the two shuttles parked on its port side.

As Hall checked her clearances, Yuán said, “You know that scuffing the paint on either of the admiral’s shuttles would probably look bad on your record, don’t you Wendy?”

Hall spared her commander a quick glance as she replied confidently, “So, scuffing both on the same trip would be a real career ender, eh, Commander?”

Yuán snarked back, “Doing a two-fer?  I suspect you’d be keelhauled, Lieutenant.”

As the shuttle cleared the hanger bay ramp and executed a diving turn away from the Hong Kong, Xiùlán activated her omnitool, its soft purple glow reflecting from the overhead.  She sent a text to Harbinger: “ _on the move_ ”.

Now they were clear of the frigate and beginning their descent into the smoke-laden atmosphere, Hall glanced briefly again at Xiùlán.  “Still have to dodge all the heavy debris falling to the surface, Ma’am.  Oh, and just what in hell is ‘keelhaulin’?  I’ve never looked it up; hardly ever hear the expression anymore.”

“Really?  Alliance Navy, and never heard how it was done?”  Xiùlán asked in mock amazement.  “Sixteenth, seventeenth, eighteenth century form of punishment sometimes meted out to sailors at sea.  The kělián de húndàn [可憐的混蛋 _\- poor bastard_ ] was tied to a line that looped beneath the vessel, thrown overboard at the bow and dragged underneath from bow to stern while running under sail.  As the hull was usually covered in barnacles and other marine growth, keelhauling typically resulted in serious cuts, possibly loss of limbs, even decapitation.  It was generally done in salt water oceans, so the pain would have been that much more intense, if the victim didn’t drown.”

Hall’s mouth fell open in disbelief.  “Seriously?  Was that legal?”

“Ship’s captains of that era had vast discretion in how they kept their crews in line,” Xiùlán replied.  “It was legal in the Dutch Navy until 1853.”

“Sorry I asked, Ma’am,” Hall said.  “Sounds like working on a sailing ship was not for the meek, though I doubt keelhauling would work well on a space fairing vessel.”

“Maybe without a suit?  Probably why it’s never heard about anymore…  not much ship traffic on the oceans these days either.”

* * *

  *** EARTH • NORTH AMERICA, CITY of VANCOUVER, B.C.**

Asharru touched down in total silence, 450 meters from the fractured building being used as a makeshift prison for several people, one of which was Miranda Lawson.  The massive construct had landed in such a way that it did not need to reposition itself, meaning the silence around him would remain undisturbed until the assault group from the Hong Kong arrived.

Asharru’s damages had been repaired by the smaller destroyers sent by Harbinger, his eezo supply replenished.  Being in continuous contact with the multitude of Repositories was not something that could be repaired… Harbinger had explained about the actions of _The Shepard_.  Asharru owed his discovery and rescue to the humans on Hong Kong-frigate; Harbinger had been true to his word… the act of kindness towards Asharru on Luna was the reason he was providing assistance on this current mission.

Asharru had all his sensors attuned to the area surrounding the building; there was movement to the left, near the entrance.  Trackers in Yuán-Staff Commander’s omnitool confirmed her location, along with the two marines from her vessel.  There was also movement to the right; he sent a text to Yuán-Staff Commander’s omnitool, the distant ultraviolet glow confirming its receipt.

Xiùlán decided the easiest way to gain entry was to simply knock on the door.  She signaled her squad; all three vanished from sight, their forms only slightly visible as continuously shifting, blue-tinged outlines of pixelization as they engaged their personal cloaking shields.  Xiùlán banged on the door with her fist and withdrew into the shadows.  The response was almost instantaneous; a shadowy figure with pistol drawn rushed up from the far side.  He literally skidded to a halt as he reached the door, looked around twice, then dropped like a stone as Xiùlán grabbed his head and shoulders from behind with both hands and pulled them sharply in opposite directions, snapping his neck like a dried twig.

Corporal Vic observed, “Bit extreme, eh, Commander?”

“He didn’t suffer.”  Xiùlán said dryly as she inspected him closely.  “Thought so… goddamned batarian scum!  Blue Suns tattoo on his neck.”  She got up and banged on the door again… this resulted in an incomprehensible reply from the dead batarian’s omnitool, which Xiùlán retrieved and answered.  “We’re here to reward you for all your hard work.  Open the xuèxīng [血腥 – _bloody_ ] door.”

“ _Show yourselves, or we’ll send you all to hell… your choice,_ ” replied the gravelly voice.

“Sorry, dànǎo shǐ [大脑屎 – _Brain feces_ (literally _shit for brains_ )].  It’s _you_ that’ll be making _that_ trip.”

Deactivating the tool, she motioned to her squad mates, then led the way back the way they’d come.  Once clear, Xiùlán opened her own omnitool and said one word: “Kāishǐ.” [開始 – _Start._ ]  They all crouched as a brilliant red beam momentarily lit the night, briefly touching the door; this caused it to explosively disappear along with a large part of the building surrounding it.

Moving back to the smoking hole in the building, Xiùlán and her squad entered after clearing the corners, stepping over several Blue Suns bodies to find themselves in some sort of lobby.  “Must have been an apartment building or hotel,” Xiùlán remarked.  “Corporal, keep an eye on those stairs; Private, watch the entrance.”  Opening her omnitool, she spoke to Asharru.  “ _Move up._ ”

The sounds of motors driving ponderous legs, claws crunching on broken bits of concrete and asphalt, was all the acknowledgement she needed.  She brought up her omnitool, wishing (not for the first time tonight) that Sammy was along for the ride; the specialist was _so_ much better at hacking shit, and she never left any trace.  _‘Wǒ hěn xiǎngniàn tā!’_ [我很想念她 – I miss her very much!] she thought.  “Corporal, we need to go down two levels, then down the hallway three doors.  You take point.  Private, watch our six.”  She called Asharru, saying  _“Any batarians moving around outside, eliminate them.  Humans, chase ‘em off.  They cannot hurt you with any weapon they’re likely to have.  Let me know if assault vehicles or gunships show up…  if they’re not Alliance, blow them out of the sky.  Lieutenant Hall, you still orbiting the area?”_

_“Yes Ma’am.”_

_“Charge weapons.  When we get clear, we’re going to need a quick dust-off, so be ready to come in hot.”_

_“Aye-aye, Ma’am.”_

Xiùlán called out to Corporal Vic and Private Hamilton.  “Silencers engaged, guys.  Batarians are fair game… bullets in the head.  Don’t give ‘em _any_ chance to return fire; don’t forget, batarians can see our heat signatures in spite of our cloaks.  Any humans or turians in Blue Suns armor get the same treatment.  We’re not interested in prisoners.  They’re all zǔzhòu de [詛咒的– _cursed_ ] mercenaries - they don’t belong on this planet, míngbái wǒ?” [明白我? _– understand me?_ ]

“Yes ma’am!” “Got it, Ma’am!” came the quiet assurances from each Marine.

“Okay, move out, quietly.”  Xiùlán followed Vic cautiously down the stairs, remaining about three meters behind him; Hamilton followed Xiùlán at the same distance.  The lighting in the stairwell was quite dim; this suited all three of them, as it made the slight flickering generated by their electronic camouflage shields less noticeable.  They managed to get down both flights of stairs without incident.  The exit door to the hall was locked from the other side, as expected.  Xiùlán activated her omnitool, using it to hack the lock, then motioned to Vic.

The corporal and Xiùlán went through the door together, crouching back-to-back, each facing a length of hallway.  There were two batarians twelve meters from Xiùlán; each was quickly dropped with an armor-piercing round through their heads.  *CHUFF!  CHUFF!  CHUFF!*  She heard three muffled reports from Vic’s assault rifle, followed by a muffled exclamation from him, “Shit!  Lookout!”

She rose from her crouch and turned, pushing Vic down and to her left as the fourth merc, fully cloaked, appeared nearly on top of them.  With a slight twitch of her hand, she activated her rear omni-blade, a longer version of the standard blade, extending backwards from her wrist to a point half-a-meter past her elbow; she moved her forearm cross-ways and down in front of the over-confident batarian, using a forehand slash to drag the glowing violet blade through his body chest-to-hip, slicing him in two.  The look of surprise on his face was quickly replaced by one of pain as he fell silently, gasping for air before he died.

Xiùlán grabbed Vic’s forearm, assisting him to his feet.  He looked at the batarian on the floor, then back to the commander.  “Shit!  I’ve never seen an omnitool with that mod before… how long have you had _that_ hidden up your sleeve, Ma’am?”

“A few years,” she replied without elaborating.  She touched the comlink in her left ear and addressed Asharru, _“Zhuàngkuàng_ [状况 _– Situation_ ].”

› _A Blue Suns gunship circled the building twice.   It was destroyed one kilometer distant as it departed southeast._‹

 _“Yōuxiù._ [優秀 - excellent] _Maintain vigilance.”_ Closing her comlink, she motioned to the two Marines.  “Vic, you’re with me.  Hamilton, take station here, in the doorway.  Keep this stairwell clear, understand?”

“Aye, Ma’am.”  Hamilton jammed the door open with the dead batarian to prevent its closing, then kneeled beside the door frame where he had a view up and down.

Motioning to Vic, she set off down the hall towards Miranda’s room.  Once there, they faced each other as they each placed their shoulders against the wall outboard and to either side of the door frame.  Xiùlán banged the door with her fist and hissed, “Lawson!  Miranda Lawson!”

A faint groan was the only reply.  Deciding to take a chance, she hacked the lock with her omnitool, then held her hand up, palm outward, fingers spread so Vic could see; he knew which way to go and where to aim once inside the room.  Xiùlán made a pushing motion with her hand, then started closing her fingers one at a time into a fist… four… three… two…  one… door open; Vic went in ahead of her, she followed to clear the other side; the only person inside was virtually unrecognizable as the woman they had come to retrieve.

“Miranda?… Miranda?  Vic, guard that door, keep an eye on the hall.”  Xiùlán stood by the doorway and accessed the building’s security system with her omnitool; she instructed the system to hardlock every door except those on the return path, then turned her attention back to the former Cerberus agent, wrinkling her nose at the smell as she kneeled next to the ‘bed’ in which Lawson was lying.  “Miranda, we’re Alliance.  We’re going to get your ass outta here!”  Dull eyes watched her warily.  “Com’on, Lawson…  Sit up.”

Miranda made an effort to rise, but didn’t have the energy.  Xiùlán placed a hand on her back, helped her to a sitting position, helped her turn and hang her legs over the side.

“Vic.  Sitrep.”  she said.

“Need to hurry, Ma’am.  I’m getting a bad feeling, like… _really_ bad.”

“Got it.”  She opened her omnitool, using it’s mini-torch to sever the chain keeping the emaciated woman tethered to the bed frame.  “Miranda, we have to go.”  Xiùlán whispered as she helped her to her feet; guessing Miranda was unable to walk far, much less run, she said, “Vic, I need you to cover me,” as she bent down, placed her right shoulder in Miranda’s hip joint, grabbed her legs behind her thighs and hoisted her up.  “Hang in there, Lawson.  We’re going to get you someplace safe.”

She reached around, activating the comlink in her ear so she’d be able to keep in continuous contact with the shuttle and Asharru.

 _“Hamilton, we’re coming out.  Lieutenant Hall!  Package secured…  repeat, secured!  Prepare for dust-off…  be sure the area is clear!”_  Xiùlán grunted with the added effort of carrying Lawson as she quick-marched up the hallway to the stairwell.  _“I’m carrying the package, you’ll need to land close.”_

 _“Stairs still clear, Commander,”_ Hamilton replied.  He stood over the dead batarian and turned just in time to see the Blue Suns human attempt to shove a knife in his chest.  “Shit!”  The private grabbed his attacker’s wrist, deflecting his aim just enough to take the knife in his shoulder armor. *CHUFF! CHUFF!*… two rounds from Hamilton’s heavy pistol found their mark, exploding the human’s faceplate and helmet in a cloud of polycrystalline-composite shards and sending the attacker’s brains splattering on the wall behind him in shades of grey and red.  “Come on, Commander!”

Xiùlán knew she couldn’t carry Miranda up the stairs… the increased strain of carrying the additional weight had her left thigh on fire.  “Hamilton, take Miranda.  I’ll take point.”  Hamilton shifted the near lifeless woman to his own shoulder, freeing Xiùlán to do what she did best.  _“Vic, keep our six clear.  Asharru, keep our LZ clear.  Hamilton is carrying the package.”_

Pulling her shotgun, Yuán went up the stairs, closely followed by Hamilton.

Just as she reached the floor landing another mercenary came through the open door.

She had just enough time to think _‘Pìhuà!_ [屁話 – Shit!]  _Thought I hacked that sonovabitch to stay closed and locked!’_ as she cut loose with two rounds from her N7 Piranha.  The merc’s heart and lungs decorated the wall behind him in vivid, dripping shades of crimson as he slid to the floor; Xiùlán took a quick look both ways down the hall.  “We’ve got company, Vic!  Get up here now!” she hollered over her shoulder.  There were about eight to ten mercs total, approaching from both directions.

 _“Asharru.  Keep the entrance and that lobby clear – blast it again if you have to!  I’m sending Hamilton up with the package,”_  she said.  _“Hamilton, go on up – be careful!”_

› _As you wish, Yuán-Staff Commander_.  _I am currently taking small arms fire from a number of sources._ ‹

_“Eliminate them, or they’ll focus their attention on the shuttle as it comes in to land.”_

The corporal reached her side and crouched at the left, looking out the door towards the right.

Xiùlán jacked a fresh heat sink in her Piranha.  _“Lieutenant Hall!  Bring in the brick… now!  Hamilton’s coming up.  Asharru!  Watch your fire!”_

_“Aye aye, Commander.”_

“Okay Vic, let’s light ‘em up!” They both stayed low as the fired past each other down the hallway.  Xiùlán fired six rounds, jacked a heat sink and fired six more.  Setting a third heat sink, she pointed the barrel skyward and waited until Vic had emptied his own gun.  Hearing no sounds from either direction, she used two fingers to point to her eyes, then at Vic, then down his side of the hall.  Vic took a quick look, then another and nodded his head once.  Xiùlán took a quick peek down the hall on her side.  All on the floor, motionless.  “I think we’d better get going, Corporal.”

They headed upstairs together, keeping wary eyes on the landing they’d just left.

Hall’s voice came over the com: _“On the ground, Commander.  Bad guys down.  Package loaded…  Hamilton’s on the way back.”_

 _“Belay that!  Hamilton, stay outside in cover…  we’re almost there!”_   Xiùlán quickly moved across the lobby area to the main entrance and crouched there as Vic covered the staircase.  “Standby, Vic.”  She activated her omnitool, hacked the building’s security system and unlatched every door top to bottom.  At least some people might get out, especially since so many Blue Suns had been killed.  She closed her tool, rechecked her shotgun and said, “Got your six, Vic… move!”

As the corporal rose and backed towards Xiùlán’s position, an assault rifle bearing merc popped up from behind cover on the far side of the lobby and began firing, catching Vic in his right side and arm, spinning him around and knocking him to the floor.

 _“Hamilton!  In here now!”_  Xiùlán jumped up, running at the bastard as she used her left hand to unload her Piranha on him.  The merc attempted to duck back into cover as Yuán’s shotgun stripped his kinetic barriers then chewed through the ceramic plating of his armor; she was on top of the human merc as the sixth round cleared the barrel and missed.

Activating her omni-blade as the bloodied merc staggered back to his feet, she rewarded his effort by shoving the purple hued ceramic blade into his torso.

His feet cleared the floor 25-35 Cm. as she viciously jerked the blade up, then sideways before breaking it off at its pivot, leaving the super-heated silicon-carbide material sizzling inside his body as he crashed screaming to the floor.  “Burn, asshole!” she shouted as she kicked him in the head with her armored boot.

Jacking a fresh heat sink into her weapon, Xiùlán backed towards her squad mates.  “How bad?” she asked Hamilton as she crouched beside the pair.

“He’ll live, Commander.  Disrupter bullet in his side’ll have to come out, but I have the bleeding slowed down for now.”  Hamilton continued with, “Bullet in his arm’s a through’n’through…  muscle damage only, not much blood lost, but it’ll be sore as hell for a few weeks.  We need to get him back to the ship”

“Agreed.  Com’on, Vic.  Let’s get back to the friendly skies.”  She grabbed his weapon and helped Hamilton get the corporal to his feet.  _“Hall!  Asharru!  We’re coming out…  sitrep.”_

_“Move it, Commander.  Area clear as it’ll ever be!”_

› _No signs of movement outside, Yuán-Commander_.‹

“Oscar-Mike!”  She helped support Vic as they double-timed it out to the shuttle, supported by its ventral thrusters half a meter from the ground, both hatches open, about 15 meters away; they actually had to move _under_ Asharru as they made their way to the shuttle.  Hamilton entered first so he could assist Vic; Xiùlán went to the far side to enter, letting out a huge sigh as she eased her tired body down into a bulkhead seat.  She noted Hamilton settling Vic into the left rear seat and strapping him in.  Xiùlán looked at Miranda for a moment; the former Cerberus operative appeared to be unconscious, head leaned back in the right rear seat.  Thinking, _‘Tiān a, tā kàn qǐlái xiàng dìyù!’_ [天啊，她看起來像地獄！- God, she looks like hell!], she activated her omnitool, reached over and checked her vitals.  Heart rate was slow and erratic, plus she was quite dehydrated.  Xiùlán sat back in her seat and banged the bulkhead twice.  “Hall, let’s get back upstairs fast.  Our guest needs a bed in the Med Bay, Vic needs some help, and I need a beer.”  Looking at Hamilton and Vic, she added, “Hell, we each need one… or two!”

Wendy answered as she increased the mass effect field and fired the stern thrusters, “Agreed.  On the move, Ma’am.”

Asharru watched as the shuttle rose from the surface on four pillars of blue-tinged fire, then pointed its nose towards the sky and ascended towards their waiting ship.

Xiùlán sent a message to the Repository as the shuttle accelerated away.  “ _Asharru: Please follow us back to the Hong Kong.  Your assistance is most appreciated.  Thank you.”_

* * *

*** SSV HONG KONG II • HANGER DECK, PORT SIDE MED BAY ***

Miranda Lawson woke with a start, struggling to get her bearings in this darkened room.  She could hear voices, faint, indistinct, close by.  She could also hear a faint beeping from somewhere above her.  It must be a continuation of a dream… her dream.  She tried to recall… there had been… a woman’s voice, lightly accented, calling her name.  The woman… black hair, tightly pulled back… dark eyes, intense, caring… full lips, pressed together in concentration.  She had used a strange looking omni torch to free her from the filthy bed… stood her up, bent down, picked her up on a shoulder, carried her to the staircase.  She had felt herself being shifted to a different shoulder, armor plated, muscular, wide… a man… named ‘Hamilton’.  He had carried her up two flights of stairs as if she were a feather… carried her outside… cool air… acrid smelling.  Placed inside a shuttle, ME generator and weapons accelerators whining, environmental pumps and impellers idling.  The woman’s voice on the com, talking to the pilot – _‘Hall!  Asharru!  We’re coming out…  sitrep!’_ – and the pilot’s reply, _‘Move it, Commander!’_  The woman… was… a commander.  Whose forces?  She didn’t know, hadn’t noticed any insignia.  Had she actually heard ‘Alliance’?  Surely not Cerberus.  The Illusive Man was dead… right?  What the hell would Cerberus still want with her?

“Miranda?  Miranda Lawson?”  She opened her eyes slightly, looked towards the voice, the woman’s voice, _that_ woman!  The voice, lightly accented… the commander.  A hand, gentle, comforting, on her shoulder.  Might as well see what hell she had fallen into now.  She dared open her eyes a bit wider.  The light was still dim, but the air… scrubbers.  Environmental pumps and fans.  The air was recycled, but clean smelling… scrubbed of CO2, somewhat oxygenated.  She turned towards the voice, saw her face.

“Miss Lawson?  I’m Staff Commander Yuán Xiùlán, executive officer of the _Hong Kong II_.”  Noting the alarm in Miranda’s eyes, Xiùlán added, “It’s an Alliance frigate.  We just returned from Arcturus.”  She smiled as she asked, “Do you remember me carrying you from your guest suite inside Hotel Hell?”

Miranda looked down at her form, covered in a clean sheet and thermal blanket.  She tried to sit up, but couldn’t… still too weak.

“Here, allow me.”  Miranda felt the upper third of the bed tilting, raising her upper body so she could more comfortably see her visitor.

“Thnxs,” she croaked.  “Where’d you… come from?… How’d… find?”

“We had a lot of help, Ma’am.”  Yuán offered her a glass of crushed ice, a straw leaning out a jaunty angle.  “Here.  Drink.  You need to replenish your fluids.  That IV drip will take some time.  A bit of liquid in your stomach will help.”

Lawson took the cup, brought the straw up to swollen lips, drank a bit of the ice melt in the bottom.  ‘ _Damn!  That’s wonderful!’_ She looked back at the commander.  “…  din’t answer…  my…  ” Tears started to form at the corners of her swollen eyelids, _‘Damn it, Lawson, keep it together!  You’re safe.  This woman’s here to help!’_

“Time, Miranda.  You need time to heal, regain your strength,” Xiùlán said calmly.  “You have a lot of injuries, some quite serious.  We’re going to try’n find an Alliance medical facility groundside; failing that, we’ll make a run for the Citadel.  You need more help than we can provide in our Med Bay.  Our doctor can discuss your condition once you’ve recovered a bit more, but he _did_ say all your cuts and scrapes will heal just fine.”  Xiùlán’s smile faded a bit as she gently placed her fingers on Miranda’s cheek.

“If you need to talk, if you need anything, Miranda, you call me, anytime.  Dāyìng wǒ!  I’m always available.”

Miranda looked puzzled.  “ ‘Dā…  wǒ’?…  don…  unerstnd…  ”

“Sorry.  I tend to do a lot of my thinking in Mandarin - traditional Chinese.  I don’t use it often in conversations… rarely speak in Mandarin at all, except when I’m cursing at pirate scum or… Blue Suns.  ‘Dāyìng wǒ’ simply means _promise me_.”  Xiùlán’s smile returned.  “Dāyìng wǒ, rúguǒ nǐ xūyào shénme, nǐ huì dǎ diànhuà gěi wǒ… promise me, if you need anything, you will call me.  [答應我，如果你需要什麼，你會打電話給我]

“… will, C… mandr… thnxs.”  Miranda closed her eyes, felt the cup being removed from her hand, the fingers… cool, reassuring, leaving her cheek… felt the bed being returned to its normal position.  She needed to sleep…

“Rest, Miranda.  You’re safe.”

* * *

*** SSV HONG KONG II • HANGER DECK, ADMIRAL HACKETT’S SHUTTLE ***

Hackett had requested the _Hong Kong’s_ XO meet with him in his ‘business’ shuttle.  As she entered and took a seat in front of his desk, he closed and locked the hatch, then said as he turned up the overhead lights, “I forget how dark the rest of this space is when I’m working in here.”  He offered her some water as he continued.  “I just wanted to talk to you about your mission to rescue Miss Lawson from captivity, and we won’t be disturbed in here.  I told Bill to leave you alone for thirty minutes or so.”

Crossing his arms and resting them on the desk, he looked at her intently as he said, “Looks like you ran into a bit more trouble than we anticipated…  apparently, there are Blue Suns operating openly down there?”

“Yes Sir,” Xiùlán replied.  “Even brought batarians with ‘em, Sir.”

“Which you eliminated, rather forcefully, if the audio from everyone’s hard suit recorders is to be believed.”

“Did what needed doing, Sir.  Blue Suns on Earth?  Batarians?  They don’t belong here, Sir, especially batarians.”  Xiùlán took a sip of water before continuing.  “After Earth being raped by the Reapers?  Can’t think of anything worse than having a bunch of mercs from the Terminus setting up shop on our home turf, Sir.  May as well invite the Eclipse and Blood Pack to join ‘em.”

“Any special reasons for your dislike of batarians, Commander?”

She lowered her voice and leaned closer to him as she continued, “I am sure you have access to my personal Alliance file.  A portion of that is completely redacted.  Rank has its privileges, Sir…  you can easily gain access to the entire file; I believe you’ll need that data in hand before promoting me to captain of this or any other vessel.  There are a few people, mostly batarians, who would enjoy pulling those skeletons… my skeletons, into the daylight… parading them around for all to see.  I don’t want you or the Captain exposed to any blowback, militarily or politically, on my account.  I have too much respect for you both.”

The Admiral looked at her closely for several moments.  “Understood, Commander.  When I _do_ find these records, will they concern only you, or will they include other people?”

Xiùlán looked down for several seconds as she thought about how best to phrase her answer.  Looking up again, she replied, “Admiral, I was on a mission in the Nemean Abyss that went terribly wrong… for me; I nearly died. Took a polonium round in my left thigh… batarian pirate wearing a stolen cloaking generator.  The only reason I’m here talking to you today?…  the presence of my partner, the comms specialist currently serving aboard the _Normandy_.”  Xiùlán massaged her thigh as her memories from that time caused her muscles to twitch, start to cramp.

“To this point I have trusted Captain Cody with only some of what I can hint at without violating my NDA with Alliance Command.  Some of the redacted information may… _may_ … hint at a relationship between myself and the specialist.  She’s the love of my life, Admiral; been through hell together.  We both hate batarians for the same reasons… they cannot be trusted; given the opportunity, they’ll put a bullet in your back, or a blade if they’re close enough.”

Hackett knew immediately to whom the Commander was referring…  he replied in a tone that made Xiùlán feel as if she were talking to her wise old grandfather.  “In this day and age, Xiùlán… your choice of a life partner makes no difference to me, and should make no difference to anyone else.  I realize that isn’t always the case, but I can say with all honesty your hidden service record, unless it shows you to be a cold-blooded murderer of unarmed civilians, will make no difference either.  “

Changing the subject, Hackett picked up a datapad and scanned through the report.  “Miranda Larson.  We need to get her to a medical facility, Commander.  I’ve had Harbinger scanning planet-side; there are no facilities on the planet that can take care of the physical trauma she’s suffered.  We need to get to the Citadel as fast as we can.”

“What are her injuries, Sir, besides the obvious?”

“What part of her _isn’t_ injured, Commander?  Fractured cheekbones, both sides; left side involves the floor of the eye socket, so _that_ eye is displaced backwards, bleeding within.  Broken teeth, broken nose, fractured ribs on the left side, resulting in a lacerated spleen, contusions on her liver and both kidneys.  Ligature marks on her wrists and ankles.  Oh, and there’s vaginal bleeding, inflammation and severe bruising from repeated rapes.  There’s even teeth marks, multiple times, over a period of days, in both her breasts.  Doc tells me the teeth marks are consistent with batarian teeth patterns.

“Does she know?”

“Hasn’t been told, Commander.”

“Don’t let her know, Admiral.  Don’t let the doctor tell her, and for pity’s sake don’t let her near a mirror.”  Xiùlán’s dislike for batarians had just intensified.  “I’ll tell her, when she’s had a bit of time to rest and heal.  The nanites in her system will repair a lot of the internal injuries.”  Xiùlán stood, came to attention and saluted.  “I’ll get us started for the relay, Admiral… heading for the Citadel.”

“Thanks Commander.”  Hackett smiled as he returned her salute.  “Good job getting Lawson out of that shithole.”

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _This is the first chapter I’ve written that does not involve the Normandy or its crew, except indirectly by reference.  And before everyone starts slinging rocks at me, the Hong Kong II was built somewhat along the lines of the SR2 Normandy, but is still an SR1 type design, with a couple of differences: the med bay has been relocated to a purpose built suite of compartments on the port side of the hanger deck, all the way rearwards against the engine room bulkhead.  This allows for injured ground pounders to be taken off a shuttle on a stretcher and moved straight into the medical facility, instead of taking a looong elevator ride up to deck two.  The former armory on the hanger deck starboard side has been subdivided into lavatory facilities for the crew.  Former med bay on deck two is now the captain’s quarters, with the XO’s quarters on the port side of deck two.  At least, that’s my vision of the ship.  (The SR1 did not appear to have any bathroom facilities).  Also, please note that whenever Xiùlán speaks in Mandarin, I’ll generally place the translation inside brackets ( _[ ] _) Stuff in brackets is not being said, it just there for reader convenience.  If it’s not translated, just use your imagination!  It’s usually bad words!  Hope you enjoy the ride!_


	34. Treachery On The Citadel

_God hath given you one face, and you make yourself another_.  - William Shakespeare, _Hamlet_

* * *

 ** _CIC_** – Combat Information Center  
**_Inamorata_** – A woman with whom one is in love; a female lover (Italian)  
**_NDA_** – Non-Disclosure Agreement, signed by Yuán and Traynor at termination of the O7 program

* * *

*** ABOARD IRINGÙ-EßIZKUR ***

Žiuk’Durmah sent a text to Specialist Traynor’s omnitool, reading, > _TO: Traynor-Specialist – I have received a communication from FIRST ONE.  Lawson-Miranda has been located… has been rescued from captors on Terra-Earth.  Please inform Shepard-Normandy.  First One wishes to speak with Shepard-Normandy and T’Soni-Doctor.  Respond._ <

Sam had been running data cables through a ‘trough’ in the deck adjacent to the long bulkhead to which the Shadow Broker’s thirty-three monitors were mounted.  She paused just long enough to read the message, to which she immediately responded: _TO: Žiuk’Durmah – acknowledged.  Standby._

Traynor walked around the corner behind her, entering Liara’s new living and sleeping area to find her talking quietly to Shepard.  “Commander?  Liara?  We need to return to the _Normandy_.  I received a text from Žiuk’Durmah… Harbinger wishes to talk to both of you about Miranda Lawson.  She’s been found!  She had to be rescued from ‘captors’…  people holding her prisoner, on Earth.”

Iringù-Eßizkur interjected, **_Specialist.  There is no need for you to return to Normandy-frigate… we are able to communicate with First One through the just completed QEC in the Shadow Broker’s main data exchange area._**

“It’d be a good time to test its operational status, Liara,” Shepard said thoughtfully.  “It will be much easier to correct any performance flaws while still docked within Žiuk’Durmah.”

“Agreed,” Liara responded.  “Žiuk’Durmah, are you listening?”

**_I am always listening, T’Soni-Doctor._ **

‘ _What a stupid question to ask!_ ’ she thought to herself.  **“Please inform Harbinger we are ready for him to begin transmitting.”**

**_It will be done.  Expect communications to begin in five minutes.  
_ **

* * *

*** SSV HONG KONG II • HANGER DECK, PORT SIDE MED BAY ***

SC Yuán, off duty, having just finished her evening shower, long raven hair loose and spread out across the back of her short silk robe to dry, was returning to her quarters for some well-earned rest.  Since the third watch had just begun, ‘on duty’ crew were minimal.  As the door to her quarters hissed open, her omnitool trilled to signal an incoming text message.  FROM: Dr Phelps; TO: Cmndr. Yuán: Miss Lawson is awake; asking to see you.  END

Glancing down at her state of dress (or undress), she mentally shrugged her shoulders; _‘Gèng kuài de zhǐshì qù nàlǐ_ ’ [更快的只是去那裡 - Faster to just go there].  She rode the elevator down to the hanger deck, then walked to the MedBay, entered and approached the desk of Doctor Gene Phelps; he looked up from the report he was writing, surprise evident in his smile.  “That was fast, Commander.”  Taking note of her hair and robe, he added, “Tried your comlink.  Didn’t mean to interrupt your shower.”

“You didn’t… just getting ready for some shut-eye… been a long 30 hours.  Faster to simply come down here first.  How’s she doing?”

“I’ve done what I can for her… cleaned her up, made her comfortable, addressed some of her injuries,” he replied.  “She has symptoms of having had a concussion, or several… fractured cheekbones, especially the left side, are indicative of repeated blows to the head.  I didn’t detect any bleeding in her brain, so perhaps the nanites we’re all blessed with are negating the trauma.  Her internal injuries are worrisome as well; there’s blood in her urine consistent with bruised kidneys, and those fractured ribs didn’t do her spleen any favors.  Doesn’t appear to be internal bleeding, but I’ll feel better once she’s in a proper hospital; she’ll be in good hands at Huerta Memorial, and I know Doctor Chloe Michel… Miss Lawson will get the best care possible.”

“Have you been able to do anything for her face, Doc?  I’d hate for her to lose that eye.”

Phelps looked unhappy.  “That ship sailed, Commander… vision in her left eye is destroyed.  Too much bleeding inside, pressure… retina’s gone.  She’ll need an artificial implant.  Cheek bones will probably heal okay… only deformity is on the left side, the ‘floor’ of the eye socket, which led to the bleeding in the eye; correctable once the eye has been removed.”

Xiùlán’s unhappiness must have shown.  “If we could have gotten there sooner… ”

“… it would have done no good, Commander.  Don’t beat yourself up over this,” Phelps interrupted.  “Don’t.  The eye injury… hell, all her facial injuries?  Weeks old, all of them.  I’ve set her nose, extracted several broken teeth and implanted ‘temps’.  Treated the bite marks on her breasts after taking several high res, close-up vids.  Might be able to match the teeth imprints at some point… looks like only one set of teeth.  Treated the vaginal trauma… anal trauma as well - she was really brutalized, Commander, treated like a piece of meat, by batarians… by humans even, though I’m not surprised by much these days… and on her home planet!  How many other women are down there, nobody looking for them, being treated this way?  Can’t imagine having to live with… ”

“… Neither can I, Doc,” Xiùlán interrupted sadly.  “And I cannot imagine how anyone can be that cruel… uncaring towards another person.  I guess it’s all about control…  domination.  And batarians think it’s their mission in life to rape every human female they come across.”  She closed her eyes and shook her head.  “Ah well, I’d better go talk to her.  You haven’t told her how badly she’s injured, have you?”

“No Ma’am.  Thought I’d let you tell her.  I think what she really needs more than anything right now is a friend… a woman… to talk to.”

“Thanks Doc.  Hold these for me?”  She handed him her shower caddy with her bath supplies.  “Don’t tell the captain I’m running around down here with my ass in the wind.”

He chuckled as he said, “If you get caught, I’ll just tell him you were in here for an exam.

She grinned at him as she moved towards the furthest bed in the compartment.  She passed the bed where Corporal Vic was recovering from surgery… he was sleeping peacefully, so she didn’t bother him.  Phelps had placed Miranda as far from the entrance as possible, had even hung a privacy curtain around her bed.  She quietly eased past the curtain, noticing the head of the bed was partially raised.

Miranda’s eyes were closed… she seemed to be sleeping.  “Miss Lawson?  Miranda?”  Xiùlán noted she had received a thorough sponge bath, for which she was grateful.  Xiùlán gently placed a hand on her shoulder.  “Miranda?”

Miranda’s right eye fluttered open; she turned her head towards the sound of Xiùlán’s voice.  “Commander,” she whispered.  “It’s good to see you again.”  Doctor Phelps had applied medigel under a patch placed on her left eye to keep it closed… the medigel would help decrease the swelling in her eyelids and ease the pain.  There was a plaster on her nose; cuts on her lips had also been treated with medigel.

“How’re you doing, Miranda?”  _‘Yúchǔn de wèntí,_ [愚蠢的問題 - Stupid question,] _Xiùlán!’_

“Better.  I’m feeling better, thanks to you and your team.”  She reached up, touched the patch over her eye, the dressing on her nose.  “Ship’s doctor is taking good care of me, but won’t tell me how extensive my injuries are.  I know I’m pretty beat-up.  Do you know?… will you tell me?  How bad is it?”

“Hang on a sec… ” She took a quick look around and spotted a stool, which she brought over beside Lawson’s bed.  She sat carefully, pulling her short robe down as far as she could, but not before Miranda spotted the scarring on her left thigh.

Before she could think, she blurted out, “My god, Commander, what in hell happened to your leg?”  then covered her mouth in embarrassment.  “Oh, Commander… I’m so sorry.  Please forgive my rudeness.”

Xiùlán twisted her butt on the stool, bringing her bare thigh parallel to the bed so Miranda could have a better look.  “Not to worry.  I’ve gotten used to the averted stares, the direct questions… and you can call me Xiùlán.”  She indicated her bare thigh with a wave of her hand.  “Covert mission in the Terminus… went totally in the crapper for me, almost died.  Batarian… polonium coated hammerhead round from less than 70 cm… tore through my kinetic shield, ceramic plate, shredded my thigh, shattered my femur, made me sick.”  She placed her hand on one rather large scar that looked like a frozen splash in water.  “Round entered here.  Lucky it missed the artery.  These… ” she indicated her entire thigh, “… are a reminder…  something I look at every day.  Helps give me strength.”  She smiled at Miranda.  “ _Still_ not enough strength to haul your ass up two flights of stairs.  Had to have Hamilton do that for me.”

Miranda brought a hand over, tentatively touched two of the other scars on her leg.  “Still aches, right?  No matter how well it’s reconstructed, it… hurts… all the time, doesn’t it?”

Miranda noticed Xiùlán’s expression.  She was looking into the past, back to when she’d been injured.  “The majority of the other scars, including the two you just touched… are the result of some pretty amazing field-medic work performed by my _Inamorata_.  She’s the only reason I’m here talking to you today.  The round shattered when it hit the bone, as it was designed to do.  She managed to dig out most of the pieces… enough to keep me from dying of radiation poisoning.  Pain was so bad, I wanted to die anyway… ”

The faraway look in her eyes faded away as she focused on Miranda.  “But I’m not here to talk about me.  Let’s talk about you.  Doc says he didn’t tell you.  He treated what he could, but… ” Xiùlán reached for and took Miranda’s hand.  “… there’s no easy way to say this… the worst injury… your left eye, Miranda.  I’m afraid you’re blind on that side.  I am so sorry.”

Miranda closed her right eye tight for several minutes as she squeezed Xiùlán’s hand.  She was calm when she finally spoke.  “I was… afraid… that would be the case.  One especially brutal evening… human.  They tied me up between a pair of posts, like a punching bag in a gym.  Hit me, over and over, front, sides, back… told me I deserved it… I’ve never been in so much pain, Xiùlán.”  Miranda’s voice hitched as she continued, reliving that time.  “Never been so helpless, so unable to fight back.  There was one person… a short human… probably the same one that broke my nose and teeth.  I’ll never forget him… laugh sounded like a braying donkey.”

Realization dawned on Xiùlán, but she kept silent as Miranda continued.

“Raped me, several times.  Liked to watch when the batarians were raping me…  sometimes… ” tears were welling up in her right eye, “… there… were…  two of ‘em at a time… ”

It was all Xiùlán could do to keep herself from sobbing.  She looked up to the overhead as she squeezed Miranda’s hand and wondered if there were any ‘good’ batarians; she had never met one, and it sure’n’ell didn’t sound as if Miranda had either.  She grabbed the small cloth lying next to her pillow, inspected it, then used it to blot the tears on her cheek and side of her face.

“H… how do… I… I get those memories… to go away, Xiùlán?  How?”

“I don’t have an answer for you… not yet.  I’d suggest counseling, but _that_ may not even be enough after what you’ve been through.  Perhaps on the Citadel?  We’re on our way there now, Miranda.  You need treatment for your concussions, your lacerated spleen.  Your liver and both kidneys are bruised, although the nanites in your blood stream will probably put all those to rights again.”

Miranda started to protest, causing Xiùlán to gently place a finger on her swollen lips.  “You have to go, Miranda.  Urine isn’t supposed to be pink or orange.”  She found Miranda’s drainage tube and held it up for her to see.  “Unlike your former captors, we don’t think you’re just a piece of meat.  We’re going to get you the help you need.”

Miranda nodded as she regained control.  “So, the eye has to come out?… no hope?”

Xiùlán sadly replied, “I’m afraid not.  Too much internal bleeding, too much pressure on the retina.  The fractured cheekbone deformed the floor of your eye socket.  That will have to be fixed when the eye comes out.  You mentioned your nose and teeth.  Doc extracted your broken teeth, inserted temps until some replacements can be made for you.”  Xiùlán added, “He said one of the húndàn even chewed on your breasts… left teeth marks.  May I?… ”

Miranda gingerly pulled the collar of her gown down past her breasts, one at a time, watching Xiùlán’s face for a reaction as she did so.  “Pretty awful, huh?”  She sniffled.  “Hurt like bloody ‘ell!  Shouda seen ‘em when they were bleeding!”

Xiùlán gently touched the scabbed over teeth prints and shook her head.  There were no words for this kind of assault.  Withdrawing her hand, she pulled the sheet and blanket up to Miranda’s neck, then got down from the stool, placed her hands on her hips and arched her back.  “Gāisǐ de!  Zhè dèngzǐ bǎ wǒ de pìgu shuìjiào! [該死的！這凳子把我的屁股睡覺！- _Damn it! This stool takes {put} my ass to sleep!]_ I have to get to bed, Miranda.  You should sleep, or try to.  Doc can give you a sleep aid, something to keep the nightmares at bay.”  Xiùlán placed her hand on Miranda’s right cheek, leaned over carefully and kissed her on the scratched and scraped cheek under her eye patch.  “I’ll come see you tomorrow, accompany you to hospital, make sure you’re properly settled.”  Xiùlán gave her hand a final squeeze, then turned and headed for the elevator after grabbing her gear and stopping to talk to Doctor Phelps for a few seconds.  She looked back towards Miranda’s bed and shook her head as she headed for the elevator.

* * *

*** SSV HONG KONG II ***

Xiùlán had been asleep less than three hours when her omnitool trilled, alerting her to an incoming message.  She sat up in bed and rubbed her face to chase away the remnants of the nightmare she’d been experiencing.  She pressed the bio-sensitive, red banded onyx cabochon for activation, read the text message, then shut down her tool, got out of bed with a sigh and got dressed.  Harbinger was going to speak to Commander Shepard and Doctor T’Soni through a different Repository… Iringù-Eßizkur.  She touched her comlink and said in a tired voice, “Bridge… XO… I need an ETA to the Citadel.”

Lieutenant Spencer replied almost immediately, sounding a lot fresher the she felt at the moment.  _“Commander.  Alliance docks on the Citadel in fifteen minutes.”_

“Docking is at your discretion, Lieutenant.  Try to get a space as close to Huerta Memorial as possible.  Send me a text when we’re there… I have to attend a conference with personnel from the _Normandy_.”

_“Aye aye, Ma’am.”_

Xiùlán hurriedly took a leak, washed her face, rinsed her mouth and brushed her hair before heading for the QEC compartment behind the CIC.

* * *

*** ABOARD IRINGÙ-EßIZKUR ***

Iringù-Eßizkur had replicated a QEC display and transmission pad adjacent to the data entry terminal across from Liara’s personal extranet interface… it was a slightly more compact version of the one on the _Normandy_ and the area visible to anyone on the receiving end would look no different than its counterpart.  She told Liara the display capabilities and range more than made up for its slightly smaller size, then warned her and Shepard that Harbinger was coming online.

“Traynor, grab an OSD, use the data entry terminal to record this for us,” Shepard instructed.

Samantha, anxious to finish the installation begun two days ago, had returned to running data cables; the request caught her by surprise.  She grabbed several OSD’s, shoved them in the drives and started the first one recording as Harbinger’s image began its pixelating dance above the receiver pad.  The image quickly snapped together as two other images coalesced just inboard of the railings… that of Fleet Admiral Steven Hackett and Staff Commander Yuán Xiùlán.

“Admiral?  Commander?  It’s good to see you once again,” Shepard said.  “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Hackett responded first.  _“Doctor T’Soni… Commander Shepard… we took a page from your playbook, Commander… hitched a ride from Arcturus inside Harbinger, along with four other Alliance vessels and one turian vessel.  Made a quick inspection at Luna base…  found a damaged Repository Destroyer… Asharru.  Got him some help from Harbinger.  He actually turned around and helped us on Earth.  Needed him to do some heavy blasting for us.  He’s accompanying us to the Citadel.”_

**_Asharru will accompany Hong Kong-frigate as long as needed, Yuán-Staff Commander._ **

Shepard replied, “We heard you were on the HK2, Admiral.”  She added with a snarky smile, “Does the crew on the Orizaba know you’re AWOL?”

Hackett grinned like a school boy caught playing hooky.  _“I didn’t tell them… well, most of them; captain knows, plus a couple of his key people.  I’ll let them all know as soon as the Arcturus relay is ready.”_ His expression turned serious.  _“As to the reason for this conference… we have some good news and some bad news.  Good news is, as I’m sure you’ve heard, we found Miranda Lawson in Vancouver; bad news?  I’ll let SC Yuán tell you,”_ he said as he motioned for the young woman to give them the run-down.

Xiùlán glanced at Hackett before speaking.  _“Commander Shepard, Doctor T’Soni?  Wish we were meeting under better circumstances; HK2 is about five-to-ten minutes from the Citadel.  There were no facilities groundside on Earth capable of dealing with Miss Lawson’s injuries… cuts and contusions all over… those are the least of her injuries, and we can deal with those here in our med bay.  Broken nose, several teeth, concussions, fractured cheek bones, fractured ribs with damaged internal organs, physical and mental trauma from multiple assaults; worst injury in my opinion is her left eye… damaged beyond saving.  We’re taking her to Huerta Memorial… I plan to accompany her once we’re docked, make sure she gets settled in and gets the best care possible.”_

“Who was holding her, Commander?”

_“Blue Suns, Ma’am.  I led the ground team that rescued her.  Had Asharru kick in their front door… pretty damned effective battering ram.  It would appear the Suns are attempting to establish a foothold on our planet.  We’re sending a full report encoded in the sub-carrier; Specialist Traynor should be able to decode it for you.  By the way, Specialist?”_

Shepard looked over her shoulder at Traynor, who moved to stand beside Shepard and Liara.  “Good to see you again, Commander Yuán.”

Xiùlán grinned at Traynor’s use of her rank.  _“As I told Shepard, I wish to hell the circumstances were better.  I’d like you to get in touch with the Shadow Broker, if possible, see what information is available… ”_ her expression turned grim, _“… on a so called human wearing the Blue Suns’ tattoo… wángbā dàn_ [王八蛋 _– son of a bitch_ ] _named Joesiar.”_

Traynor’s expression turned grim at the mention of _that_ name.  “What makes you think _that_ húndàn [ _bastard_ ] was involved, Commander?”

Xiùlán smiled again.  _“Good to see you haven’t forgotten all your Mandarin lessons, Specialist!”_ Her smile disappeared as she continued, _“From what Miranda told me, he was her chief abuser in every possible way, including holding the batarian’s leashes.  She didn’t name him, but she did describe the laugh as akin to the braying of a donkey.  I have only encountered one person that sounds like that.”_

Hackett looked at Yuán as he interrupted with, _“Wait a minute… that wouldn’t be the nephew of General_ Bradley _Joesiar, would it?”_

 _“The same, Admiral.  He was in the class with Traynor and myself.  His racism, misogyny and hatred of aliens earned him a dishonorable discharge from the Navy,”_ Yuán replied.  _“Even his uncle couldn’t bail him out of the mess his attitude and mouth got him into.  Lost track of him after he left, not that I bothered to follow up… beginning to think that was an error on my part.”_

“It _does_ sound like the miserable little cretin we knew on Luna, Staff Commander,” Traynor said.  “I’ll contact the Broker, see if any other data exists concerning the Suns, and Joesiar in particular.”  She spat the name out as if spitting out a particularly nasty phlegm ball.

Shepard asked, “Do you know if he survived your assault mission to rescue Miranda?”

_“We terminated a number of mercs… majority were batarian, only a couple of humans.  I don’t believe he was among the people we eliminated.  No turians in the mix, which I thought was odd.”_

Liara wanted to know, “Why would the Blue Suns be on Earth in the first place?  Seems a bit soon for that type of anarchy to begin.”

 _“Unknown… we dropped in between midnight and sunrise local time.  Best guess?  They’re attempting to establish a presence in order to exploit the misery of the people left alive.  They weren’t holding Miranda for ransom.”_ Xiùlán’s voice tightened.   _“She was a piece of meat, a pleasure toy, passed around among the batarians to keep them happy.  We don’t believe they were aware of her Cerberus background, but her L5 implant did make them aware she was a biotic.  They kept her implant inoperative with drugs.”_

“Is there anything being done to discover if there are more mercs in that area?  I cannot believe the few you encountered are all there were down there.”  Shepard said.

 _“The Stalingrad’s in-system… one of the other frigates that rode along with us from Arcturus,”_ Xiùlán replied.  _“They have a full contingent of Marines on board, just itching to go groundside.”_ She smiled as she continued, _“I’ll ask Captain Cody to contact Captain Martinez, see if he’ll turn those Marines loose in their M-35’s for some exercise.”_

“Please mention to be on the lookout for Joesiar, Commander,” Traynor said.  “It would be nice if he could be captured alive, so we can take turns…”

Xiùlán’s expression became one of fierce determination as her omnitool trilled, signaling an incoming message.  _“Agreed!”_ She didn’t bother to open the omnitool, saying instead, _“We’ve docked at the Citadel, Commander, Doctor T’Soni.  I have to leave, get Miranda to Huerta.  I’ll send a status update as soon as I can.  Harbinger has informed us the repaired relays can be used as comm buoys; the signals won’t be quite as fast, but better than no comms at all.  Specialist?”_ Xiùlán smiled.  _“Nǐ de ài shǐ wǒ de shēnghuó wánzhěngle!”_ [你的愛使我的生活完整了 – Your love makes my life complete!]

“Méiyǒu nǐ de ài wǒ de shēnghuó shì bù wánzhěng de!” [沒有你的愛我的生活是不完整的 - _Without your love my life is not complete!]_ Samantha replied with a smile of her own.  “Zhù nǐ hǎoyùn, zhǐhuī guān.”  [祝你好運，指揮官 _\- Good luck, Commander]_

Xiùlán turned towards the Admiral, saluted, then disappeared from view.

Hackett looked in turn at each of the three women projected in his QEC.  _“Just so you know, the relay in the turian system is now functional, and it’s been paired directly with Charon, so a two-relay jump is no longer necessary to reach the Apien Crest from our system.  Arcturus should be online any day.”_ Hackett rubbed his scarred right cheek as he continued.  _“I’d like you to contact me when you reach Palaven, Commander.  I’m sure Vakarian will be leaving you once you’re there, and I would like to thank him for all his efforts on behalf of humanity._ ”

“I’ll be sure to tell him, Admiral.”  Rachaél looked at Liara, then back at Hackett’s image.  “There’s something else you need to know, Sir, and it needs to be kept in strictest confidence.  Liara will be leaving the _Normandy_ in less than a week.”

 _“You just continue to surprise me, Commander.”_ Hackett said, then asked, _“Doctor T’Soni, how in hell do you intend to leave the Normandy?”_

“We’re speaking to you from my new facilities onboard Iringù-Eßizkur, Admiral,” Liara replied.  “She volunteered her services as a transport and headquarters for the Shadow Broker.”

_“My god, Commander.  Whose insane idea was that?  Certainly not yours, and I cannot imagine you volunteering for this, Doctor T’Soni.”_

“Actually, Admiral, it was my insane idea,” Samantha answered with a smile.  She then proceeded to explain her reasons for having Liara move her operation to Iringù-Eßizkur, along with the distinct advantages of having an autonomous vessel with the operational capabilities of a Repository.  After ten minutes, Hackett still seemed far from convinced Traynor’s reasoning was sound.  “It will work, Admiral.  I have faith in Iringù-Eßizkur, and I have faith in Liara.”

 _“Will there be anyone traveling with you, T’Soni?”_ Hackett asked.  _“Hell, I know Feron was on the old broker’s ship over Hagalaz.  Any chance you’ll be working with him again?”_

“I don’t know if he survived, Sir.  Network’s been down,” Liara answered calmly.  “As for a companion, we haven’t completely decided.  I just know it’s time for me to leave the Normandy before Alliance Command forces me off the ship.”

_”What makes you think that’s a certainty, Doctor?  Who have you been talking to?”_

“She’s been talking to me, Admiral,” Traynor answered for her friend.  “I’ve seen first-hand what the Alliance is capable of, Sir.”  She paused, then continued.  “I am sure you can access my personal Alliance file.  A portion of that is completely redacted.  Flag Rank has its privileges, Sir… you can easily gain access to the entire file, see what I trained for, what I did, what the Alliance did to me… _and_ Xiùlán… when they felt we were of no further value for the missions for which we were trained.”

Hackett looked stunned.  _“Specialist, Commander Yuán said almost the exact same thing to me not two days ago.  I can’t imagine… ”_

“… Forgive my interruption, Sir, please,” Samantha said quietly.  “That’s exactly what the Alliance council depends on, that you, or anyone with any authority, cannot imagine them doing anything that’s not in the best interest of the people for whom they’re making decisions.  You are just one person, one voice.  I would like to see you become a member of the governing council, Sir.  That’s where your years of experience are needed.  The Reapers no longer exist… the machines are now living Repositories of civilizations past, no longer a threat to our existence.  Iringù-Eßizkur has declared herself a guardian of the Shadow Broker.  We need to be rebuilding what was destroyed.  You could be an influence for good, Admiral.”

Shepard had a parting thought for Hackett.  “Admiral, there is another thing no one has addressed… the Leviathans.  I believe they are still a threat, now more than ever.  Their ultimate solution has failed.  Synthetics and organics have been merged.  They created the catalyst because they felt synthetics would always pose a threat to organics.  Thanks to their own creation, their numbers now are few, but they’re still a potential threat to everything, to everyone.  Whatever we do as we’re rebuilding, we absolutely cannot overlook that, Sir.”

_“Agreed.  I’m going to leave the ship for a bit, Shepard, take a look around the embassies, check on Miranda.  If you don’t hear from me before T’Soni is ready to leave, contact me.  Signing you out… ”_

The images of Hackett and Harbinger disappeared in a fast swirl of pixels.

* * *

*** SSV HONG KONG II • HANGER DECK & SHUTTLE ***

As luck would have it, the Med techs from Huerta were just bringing Miranda out of the HK2’s Med Bay as Xiùlán stepped out of the elevator.  Miranda was looking around as if disoriented, frightened.  “Miranda!”  The frightened look softened as Xiùlán walked up to her transfer platform.

“Commander.  I was beginning to think you’d forgotten about me.”

“I’m not going to forget about you Miranda.”  Xiùlán took her hand, gave it a reassuring squeeze.  “I’m going to accompany you to the hospital… make sure you’re settled and comfortable.”

She walked beside the platform while holding Miranda’s hand, until the techs reached their air ambulance, a heavily modified UT-47 shuttle parked just inside the ramp at the forward end of the hanger bay.  It took little effort to carry the transfer platform… as with most everything that had to be moved by hand, a tiny ME generator underneath provided most of the lift needed; the techs needed only to keep it level and provide guidance.

Xiùlán spared a cursory glance at the techs as they carefully moved their patient into the shuttle and attached the platform to the rear of the bulkhead separating the ‘cargo’ compartment from the pilot’s seat, noting with interest that each appeared to have an injured area on their necks, where the skin color was lighter… bleached, perhaps?… in a semi-circular pattern above their collars.  She took a quick look at the pilot from around the bulkhead on the starboard side… same anomaly.  She looked intently at Miranda as one tech plugged sensor leads into the monitors above, then made sure everything was secure before turning towards Xiùlán.  “You need to leave.  Only authorized personnel are allowed in this vehicle during transport.”

Xiùlán might have complied except for the belligerent attitude from this med tech and the suspicious nature of the skin problem shared by all three of the people sent here.

Keeping a neutral expression and maintaining a calm voice, she replied, “I’m accompanying this woman to Huerta Memorial.  If I wish, I can bring a couple of Alliance Marines on board as well.”  The expression on her face took on a darker look as she stepped right up in front of the tech and let her 186 Cm height do some of the intimidation for her; with her nose 15Cm from his eyes she finished with, “And it’s _‘Commander’_ to you, mister!  Understand?”

The tech backed hurriedly away from Xiùlán as he said, “Have it your way, _Commander_ ,” spitting the title out in a sarcastic voice.  He finished with “Just stay out of our way,” as he took a seat in the back corner.  “Dawson!”  he shouted towards the pilot’s compartment.  “Looks like we have an extra passenger.  Get moving!”

Xiùlán activated her omnitool, sent a quick text on a secure channel (marked urgent) to Captain Cody, closed her tool and stood beside Miranda, watching her eyes as she grabbed the overhead rail to maintain her balance.  The pilot closed the hatch, lifted the shuttle off the deck and eased it clear of the _Hong Kong’s_ hanger bay.

Xiùlán asked, “Feelin’ okay?”

Lawson nodded her head, her right eye never leaving Xiùlán’s face.  “Commander… ” she started.

“Xiùlán, Miranda…  Call me Xiùlán.”

“Xiùlán.  I’ve had some time to think,” she said.  Without moving her head, she looked at the med techs sitting in back as she continued, “I’d like to know the real reason so much was invested in my recovery.  I think I’m owed that much.”  Her eye grew wide in alarm as Xiùlán started to reply.

“I will tell you, as soon as we’re alone,” she whispered.  “Let’s get you settled in hospital first.”  The words had barely left her mouth as she activated her omniblade, whirled around and thrust it up into the chest of the smart-assed ‘tech’ coming at her from the port side, pistol in hand.  She broke the ultraviolet ceramic blade off in his body as she used the stiffened fingertips of her palm-side-up left hand to strike the other tech square in the throat; the force of the blow crushed his larynx and sent him crashing back against the rear bulkhead.  She retrieved each of their weapons and gave them to Miranda; undocking her own pistol, she carefully moved around the forward bulkhead on the starboard side.  Pilot Dawson was just leaving her seat when Xiùlán capped her with a headshot, causing her to fall lifelessly back into her chair as the port side interior was redecorated with bloody bits of brain, along with blond hair attached to skull fragments.

“Shit!”  Xiùlán took the co-pilot’s seat and looked at the controls; the autopilot was set for somewhere in the outer wards.  Bringing up her omnitool, she uploaded those coordinates for future reference, then hacked the shuttle’s navicomputer to purge the destination from memory.  Enabling manual control, she consulted her omnitool for the fastest route to Huerta Memorial, downloaded the new destination vector and re-engaged the auto-pilot, causing the UT-47 to immediately turn and climb as it headed back for the Citadel’s ring.  Relieving Dawson of the gun she would never need again, she went back to check on the other ‘techs’.  Miranda was keeping watch and nervously attempted to bring a gun to bear on her as she reappeared from the pilot’s compartment.

Xiùlán gently took the gun, made sure it’s thermal clip was full, then placed it under the blanket beside Miranda’s hip as she whispered, “Keep that hidden.”

She next crouched beside the sandy-haired fellow wearing a blade in his chest; his attempt to curse her came out as a frothy gurgle of blood… his last act of defiance before dying.  She checked his companion; he wasn’t going to get back up again either.

She sighed as she stood up, looked at Lawson and said, “These húndàn must really want you back, Miranda.  The pattern on their necks is an outline of the Blue Suns insignia; they generally have the tattoos removed when they’re sent out to do clandestine work.  Makes sense this one… ,” she put the toe of her boot against sandy-hair’s body, “… didn’t want me coming along for the ride.  Must have decided two against one tilted the odds more in their favor.

Bringing up her omnitool once more, she sent a quick message to Captain Cody, asking him to have Hamilton and another marine meet her at the shuttle port near Huerta.  She felt the shuttle’s attitude and speed change as she closed her tool; pulling her N7 Piranha, she moved to the cockpit and waited for the craft to touch down.

As soon as the UT-47 had stopped, she locked all the flight controls than moved to crouch at the forward side of the hatch.

“Sit tight, Miranda,” she said as she hacked the ‘hatch-open’ sequence to keep the lower portion from sliding rearwards, while allowing the upper, tilt-up section to open only enough to permit her to see the area immediately outside.  Her comlink came on and her omnitool lit up as soon as the hatch was cracked.  There had obviously been a dampening field active inside the shuttle from shortly after the hatch was closed on the _HK2_.  _“Commander!  Reply!”_ Cody was sounding a bit frantic at the silence.

Activating her comlink, she replied, “Captain?  We’re on the ground, outside of Huerta, I hope.  I don’t have the hatch completely open… waiting for the ground team to arrive before I leave.  Three bad guys down.  Miranda is safe.”

_“Ground team is outside, bow and stern.”_

“I need ‘em to show themselves on the port side, Captain,” Xiùlán replied tersely.  “Gotta make sure I’m not walking into another ambush, Sir.”

 _“Hamilton, move up from the bow of that shuttle so Yuán can see you,”_ Cody said on the comm.

_“Commander?  It’s Hamilton… I’m Oscar Mike, Ma’am.”_

Hamilton eased into view from her right, hands up, palms out, helmet off so she could see his face.  _“No tricks, Ma’am.  Don’t know who else you might be expecting, but they ain’t here,”_ he said quietly on the comm.

Xiùlán opened the upper hatch section all the way, while keeping the lower section closed as she crouched behind it.  “Bring your partner up from the stern, Hamilton.  Let’s get the package into Huerta.”

Rising from her crouch behind the lower hatch, she allowed it to unlatch and slide to the rear.  Hamilton took a look inside and wrinkled his nose.  “Never seen an Air Med transport so messy on the inside, Ma’am.  Hospital staff are coming out.  Everything’s under control.”

“I’ll believe it when we have Miss Lawson secure in her room.”  Looking at Hamilton’s companion, she asked, “What’s your name, Marine?”

“Private Abbott, Ma’am,” the solder nervously replied.

Returning to Miranda’s side, Xiùlán smiled.  “Almost there, Miranda.  Few more minutes.”  She took the other two pistols outside, popped the ‘sinks onto the pavement and handed both guns to Hamilton.  “I want a detail to accompany her into the hospital; they are to remain with her at all times, míngbái wǒ?”  [明白我？ - _understand me?] Anyone_ in that hospital gives you any shit... _any_ , call me immediately.

“Aye-aye, Ma’am.”

“Those pistols belonged to the pair of báichī [白癡 _\- morons]_ inside,” she said.  “I gave the third one to Miranda.  No one takes that away from her, míngbái wǒ?”

“Aye aye, Ma’am.”

A C-Sec aircar, overhead lights flashing, came in fast and landed in a cloud of kicked up dust just behind the Air Med transport; Captain Cody stepped out, accompanied by a pair of turian C-Sec officers; all three walked up to Xiùlán.

She could see C-Sec wasn’t happy with the mess she’d dumped in their laps.  The larger of the pair shouldered his way past Cody to ask in an accusatory manner, “Just what in hell happened here, Commander?”

I don’t know… ,” taking a look at his rank markings, she gave him a verbal demotion as she thought, ‘ _Do those mandibles serve a function, or do you just flap them around to make yourself seem important?'_  “… _Corporal_.  Looks to me like three people scratched off their Blue Suns tattoos, stole an Air Med transport and attempted to kill me so they could kidnap a woman I went to great lengths to rescue _from_ the bastards two days ago on Earth.”

His companion had returned to talk to her inquisitor in a low voice after looking inside the shuttle.  “Actually Commander, it’s _Sergeant_ , and there are three dead people in that shuttle… ”

“… How very observant of the… _Private_ ,” she interrupted in a snarky tone, causing Cody, standing behind the pair attempting to maintain his composure, to roll his eyes to the heavens.  “I left them there just for you.  I have the destination coordinates that were programmed into the navicomputer, if you’d like to try your luck.”

“Ah-h-h-h… yeeeesss… one man has some kind of purple ceramic blade in his gut, other guy doesn’t have a mark on him, but dead nonetheless.  Woman in the cockpit has her brains splattered all over the inside.  Yet here you stand, without a mark on you.  Care to explain that to me, Commander?”

“Perhaps _you_ would like to explain to _me_ how three Blue Suns mercs got their hands on this Med Transport and very nearly killed me and kidnapped the patient on board.  I’m guessing this is your first experience with Alliance naval personnel?  I don’t take prisoners, Corporal… people coming at me with guns die… some quicker than others.  And I don’t give a Vorcha de pìgu [vorcha的屁股 _– vorcha’s ass_ ] if they’re human, krogan, salarian, asari, or… _turian_.  Simpler that way.  Now, if we’re done here, I have to accompany our patient to her room.”

The C-Sec officer brought himself up to his full height, hoping to intimidate this cheeky human female.  “We’re not done yet… ”

“ _You_ might not be done, _Corporal_ … I _am_.  Got more stupid questions, find me in the hospital.”  Catching Cody’s eye, she saluted smartly and said, “Sir,” before nodding to the turians as she moved to Miranda’s side… Med techs, real ones this time, were taking her out of the shuttle.  Xiùlán partially covered her face with her sheet, hoping to keep her identity hidden from as many people as possible, for as long as possible.

“Okay Miranda, let’s get you settled in… ”

“Thanks Commander,” came the whispered reply.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _It seems as if there is always someone or a group of someones ready, willing and more than able to keep others from peacefully living their lives.  Those of you that looked at_ “From Shanghai to the Hong Kong II” _should remember_ Joesiar _as a particularly nasty piece of work.  Hope you continue to enjoy the story!_


	35. Over The Line!

_I told you I would go to Hell to rescue you and that’s just what I did... And I’d do it again_  - Sylvain Reynard

* * *

 ** _CIC_** \- Combat Information Center  
**_XO_** \- Executive Officer

* * *

*** _NORMANDY_ DECK TWO • CONFERENCE ROOM, 0830 ***

Major Kaidan Alenko greeted everyone as they entered the Conference Room and took their seats.  Commander Shepard’s image appeared at the forward end of the compartment standing next to the outboard viewport.  Liara T’Soni sat next to Specialist Traynor facing the passageway and sliding door; Garrus Vakarian sat across from them to Alenko’s right.  Vakarian’s nearly constant companion, Tali’Zorah vas _Normandy_ , sat close beside him, sans mask and helmet so she could continue a whispered conversation.

James Vega entered and took a quick look around; spotting Samantha, he immediately grinned as he circled the long table to take a seat next to the specialist, whom he had been pointedly avoiding in the weeks since she’d given him a practical demonstration of her fighting skills in the hanger bay.  “Buenos días, Specialist.”

Samantha looked at him, surprise evident in her voice as she replied, “Good morning to you, Mr.  Vega.”

EDI walked in last, closing the door and taking a place at the far end opposite of Alenko, who stood and waited for everyone’s silence before speaking.  “It’s been quite some time since we were gathered here, and a lot has happened.  I’ve asked you here today so we can discuss the eminent departure of Doctor Liara T’Soni from the _Normandy_.”  Pausing to look at each one present, he continued, “Additionally, we need to talk about the possibility of another person leaving the _Normandy_ in order to accompany her on board Iringù-Eßizkur as she continues her work as the Shadow Broker.”

Liara stood as she said, “I want everyone to know I have not requested a traveling companion.  During my archeological research, before the appearance of Sovereign and the geth, I was almost always on my own.”  Liara’s pause was just enough of an opening for a snarky interruption from Shepard.

“… and your research on Therum would have ended quite differently if my team and I had not found you before the geth and that krogan battlemaster.  Something about an energy field, I believe?”  Shepard grinned as Liara blushed, turning her cheeks a darker shade of blue.

“As I recall,” she retorted, “you and your team had to rescue me from the energy field, the krogan  _and_  the geth.  Those were interesting times… simpler times.”

Alenko came back to the reason for the meeting.  “Shepard, are you planning on joining Liara?”

The look in Rachaél Shepard’s eyes, even if it  _was_  a projection of her consciousness in the server, spoke volumes about her feelings for the asari sitting in front of her.  “Liara T’Soni is my bondmate in all but signed statement and exchange of bracelets.  I would gladly leave the server on this ship and enter a portion of the server within Iringù-Eßizkur to accompany her,  _if_  it were possible for me to return to the _Normandy_ or move to the server of another ship… unfortunately, those options do not exist.  In addition, I believe she will on occasion need an extra pair of hands; my inability to assist her physically might put her safety in jeopardy.  Anyone accompanying the Shadow Broker will need to have a physical presence I currently do not possess.”

Liara looked at Shepard and smiled.  “That’s the main reason for my departure, Rachaél.  We’re going to find a way for you to enjoy life outside of the server.”

Traynor took this opportunity to put the requirements on the table.  “Please, let me set out the guidelines… requirements that a volunteer will need to meet.”  Looking around at everyone else, she added, “I  _am_  excluding myself from the pool of candidates.  I have my own reasons for staying on the _Normandy_.  Now, there are two people here that need to be considered before anyone else… Garrus Vakarian and Tali’Zorah vas _Normandy_.  James here,” she tilted her head in his direction, “has the physical attributes down cold, but his lack of technical expertise would hinder his ability to be a real assistant to Liara.”  She paused, looked at James and smiled.  “No offense, Lieutenant.  If she were going into a warzone and needed a human version of Grunt, you’d win hands down.”

“You’re just trying to make me feel better about being left out of the pool of eligible candidates, Specialist.”  James said quietly.  He continued with a snarky tone, “And I’m not really sure if being compared to a krogan is a complement.”

Samantha asked in a tone just shy of snarky, “Do you really want to ride around inside a Reaper, Mr Vega?”

James was silent as he looked past Samantha at Liara.  She looked at him, pursed her lips as she smiled and shook her head ever so slightly.

Samantha continued on with, “EDI would probably be an ideal companion… she has the tech expertise and she really never sleeps.  Unfortunately for Liara, EDI’s presence is required on this ship, as she is the is the only one of us capable of entering the server to assist Shepard in maintaining her sanity.”

“Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Garrus and Tali are not officially Alliance personnel.  They became members of the crew quite by accident… an extremely  _happy_ accident, in both cases.  I personally am unable to imagine  _any_  vessel named _Normandy_ without Garrus Vakarian… ,” she paused and beamed a big smile at Garrus, “… or without Tali’Zorah vas _Normandy_ , to whom our ship’s name was meant to belittle, to shame.”

“Major,” Garrus said as he looked lovingly at Tali, “Is there any logical reason for both of us to stay on this ship?  I mean, the war is over, right?”  Garrus let his sub-harmonics emphasize his words, “I’ve seen Iringù-Eßizkur’s insides… there seems to be more than enough space for us annnnd our supplies.  What better traveling companions could a wayward asari ask for?”  Garrus fluttered his mandibles as he turned his attention to Liara.  “A quarian tech wizard that’s  _totally_  lethal with a shotgun?  A turian sharp shooter that  _excels_  at calibrations?  I mean, come  _on!_   I can’t see a downside to this idea.”

Alenko looked at Shepard, then back at Garrus.  “As much as I hate the thought of  _either_  of you leaving the ship, I must say I feel Liara could benefit tremendously from having both of you accompanying her.  What I  _haven’t_  heard is an opinion from Tali.”

Tali looked first at Garrus, then at Liara, then at Shepard.  “There is nothing I would rather do than follow Garrus Vakarian wherever he decides to go,” Tali said in a quiet voice.  Turning back to Garrus, she continued, “If you feel you must leave the _Normandy_ , I’ll hug you and give you a big kiss when you go, but… ” her voice hitched, “… I cannot follow you, Garrus… I cannot.”

“Any reasons you care to share, Tali?”  Shepard felt she knew what Tali was going to say, and it literally broke her heart.

“It’s a machine, Shepard.  A living machine, an intelligent machine.”  Tali looked like she was close to tears.  “ _My_  history with the geth?  _Their_  history with the Reapers?  I  _can’t_ get around that, Shepard… Garrus.  It was difficult enough for me going inside Iringù-Eßizkur to work on cabling the work stations and data terminals.  End of the day?  I was absolutely exhausted… sick to my stomach, from having to spend time inside.  It seemed like it was closing in on me… like I was in a trap, unable to escape.”

Shepard came around to stand beside the unhappy quarian.  “I understand, Tali.  It’s almost as if their ability to indoctrinate organic minds still exists.  I think it has to do with the colors inside, the odd angles and patterns in the decks, walls and overhead.”

 **“Are you telling us the truth about indoctrination, Iringù-Eßizkur?”** Shepard asked.

 ** _I have been truthful with everyone, Shepard-Normandy_** , came the reply.  **_I_** ** _understand the fear, the uncertainty many feel regarding us.  It is unfortunate, Tali’Zorah-Admiral.  I want to allay your fears, your uncertainty, but have no words, can perform no deeds, that will convince you of my good intentions.  I am sorry._**

“As am I, Iringù-Eßizkur,” Tali replied in a sad voice.  “And I realize the irony of my riding around inside Žiuk’Durmah.  Difference is, I’m still inside the _Normandy_.  I don’t feel the same nausea, the same sense of the walls closing in on me.  I’m inside my ship, safe from the Reapers, safe from the emptiness of space.  Like a… what’s that Earth insect called, Commander?  A butterfly?  I am in my own cocoon on the _Normandy_ , Iringù-Eßizkur.  I am safe here.”

 ** _You would be just as safe inside my structure, Tali’Zorah-Admiral,_**  Iringù-Eßizkur responded with a touch of sadness, the musical tones accompanying her voice playing in a minor key.  **_I understand your mistrust.  It is not an easy thing to overcome after so many cycles of conflict with synthetics._**

“I understand as well, Tali,” Garrus told her.  Looking back at Alenko, Garrus said, “We need to discuss what to do, Major.  It’s a big decision… for both of us.  We’ll let you know tomorrow morning.”

Alenko nodded his head.  “Okay, everyone.  Thanks for your time.

* * *

*** CITADEL • PRESIDIUM, HUERTA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL ***

Doctor Chloe Michel, having completed her initial examination of Miranda Lawson, left the room to discover the executive officer of the _SSV Hong Kong II_ waiting to talk to her in the hallway.  “Commander Yuán,” Michel said as she extended her hand.  “Nice to see you again.  What may I do for you?”

“Doctor Michel,” Xiùlán replied.  Taking the doctor’s hand, she looked around at the people scattered about and asked, “Is there someplace we can talk… privately?”

“Of course.  Come with me, please.”  Doctor Michel led her to a nearby laboratory.  “We can talk in here, Commander.”

Xiùlán waited for the door to close and latch before activating her omnitool and scanning about the compartment.  Satisfied there were no listening or recording devices installed, she returned to stand in front of the doctor and said, “I was hoping you could fill me in on Miss Lawson’s condition; I also need to speak with her privately, if she’s up to it.”

“I’m not permitted to discuss her medical condition with anyone that’s not immediate family, Commander.  I understand she has a sister… ?”

“Yes… Oriana.”  Dropping her voice to a whisper, Xiùlán continued, “Miranda sent her…  away… to keep her safe… away from Cerberus.  At this point, with Blue Suns having such a keen interest in Miranda, I don’t believe it’d be in the best interest of either of them to attempt to contact Oriana.”  Xiùlán sighed.  “I led the team that rescued Miranda on Earth; the Suns attempted to kill me and kidnap her on our shuttle trip here from my ship.  It’s the reason… ”

“… for the guards outside her room,” the doctor finished for her.  “Would that also explain the sidearm hidden in her covers, Commander?”

Xiùlán smiled grimly.  “Unfortunately, yes.  I don’t expect she’ll be needing it inside this place, but as a last resort?”  Xiùlán shrugged her shoulders, then began pacing about as she continued, “There  _is_  one other thing, Doctor Michel.  In 2183 Miss Lawson was in charge of Project Lazarus… have you heard of it?”

“There were rumors of a clandestine Cerberus facility involved in illegal research, but…”

“ _That_  facility is the reason Rachaél Shepard regained her life after the Collectors sliced the _Normandy_ _SR1_ to pieces, Doctor.  Miranda Lawson possesses a lot of highly specialized knowledge… knowledge we now need.  Commander Shepard… died… when she fired the Crucible, Doctor.  We need Miranda’s assistance with a situation that’s developed on the _Normandy SR2,_ which is currently on its way to the turian home system.”

Doctor Michel asked, “What happened on the _Normandy_ , Commander?”

Xiùlán massaged her temples with the thumb and fingers of one hand as she thought how best to avoid telling Doctor Michel the circumstances of Rachaél’s survival.  “When Cerberus resurrected Rachaél Anne Shepard, they used a lot of cyber tech…  Reaper tech.  One member of the _Normandy_ crew guessed that top to bottom there were 275 to 350 electronic implants, including her eyes, modified by Cerberus specifically for her… platform, as they referred to her body.  There were even some skeletal enhancements, titanium stiffeners in her legs and arms, and her biotic implant was a hybrid piece of tech designed just for her.”

Doctor Michel started to say, “That still doesn’t explain… ”

“… it was  _all_  Reaper tech, Doctor.  The Crucible was  _built_  by the different species of the galaxy, but it was  _designed_  by the Reapers.  Docked with the Citadel,  _also_  a creation of the Reapers.  Shepard chose synthesis over destruction or control.  She  _chose_  to add her DNA to the energy beam, to create a synthesis of organic and machine intelligence.  She’s the reason you and I have faint traces of circuitry under our skin, a slight greenish glow in our eyes.”

“The output from the beam engulfed the _Normandy_ before it could reach the Charon relay for Arcturus.  The ship’s computer core is also constructed with Reaper tech, and it still has a Reaper IF/F transponder hard-wired to its navigation array.  Shepard’s the reason the Reapers are now helping rebuild what they formerly destroyed.  Those of us still alive owe our existence to the choice made by Shepard to join organics and synthetics.  We hope Miranda may be able to provide some clues, some guidance for solving the problem we’ve encountered.  That’s why I need to speak with her.”

“I see, Commander,” Doctor Michel said, even though she clearly didn’t.  “I  _can_  tell you Miss Lawson was treated quite brutally by her captors, a fact of which you are already well aware.  The nanites in her blood are healing her internal injuries, a slow process to be sure, but better for her if we can avoid performing surgery.”

Doctor Michel unlatched and opened the door, continuing to speak as they walked to Miranda’s room.  “I will contact a specialist here on the station, have him look at her eye socket and cheekbones.  We’ll begin cloning an eye for her right away… she’ll have to wear a patch for twelve to fifteen weeks while it’s being grown.”  She finished as they stopped outside Lawson’s room, “We’ll take good care of your friend, Commander.”

Xiùlán nodded to privates Hamilton and Abbott, standing shoulder-to-shoulder in front of the door.  Each of them saluted and stepped sideways to allow Xiùlán to enter.  “How’s it going, Marines?”

“Things are quiet, Ma’am… a bit too quiet,” Hamilton replied in a whisper.  “No one even gives us a second look.  Are people  _that_  used to having armed guards in here?”

“Don’t know.  Haven’t had a lot of ground side experiences on the Citadel.”  Xiùlán replied.  “Keep your eyes open.  I don’t think the Suns will try anything in here, but… ” she left the thought unfinished as she entered the room and closed the door behind her.

Activating her omnitool, she checked the room for audio or video surveillance; finding none, she closed her tool and approached Miranda’s bedside.  “Miranda?”

Lawson’s right eyelid fluttered open at the sound of her name.  “Commander,” she whispered.

“I know this is a stupid question, Miranda, and I realize I keep asking, but… how are you feeling?”

“Somewhat better, thank you.  Now here’s a stupid question for you.”  Miranda smiled shyly as she asked, “On the shuttle, right after we left the _Hong Kong_ , how in ‘ell did you know you were about to be attacked?”

“Saw ‘im in your eye… reflected image.  Your eye going wide gave me a really clear view.  I had my suspicions when I saw the skin damage caused by tattoo removal,” she answered.  Pulling a stool up beside the bed and sitting, she continued, “Before I was interrupted by the Suns, I told you I’d explain why we went to such great lengths to rescue you.  I’m sure you’re aware that Commander Shepard died when she activated the Crucible to end the Reaper’s assault on Earth and throughout the galaxy.  What you do not know is the reason we needed to find you; we need your knowledge and expertise.”

“My knowledge?  I don’t… ”

“Hear me out, please… I’ll be as brief as possible,” Xiùlán promised.  “Shepard lives, Miranda.  Her body became part of the energy generated by the Crucible, but her spirit, her soul… that which made her _Rachaél Anne Shepard_... returned to the _Normandy_ as part of the energy wave.  She’s in the computer server on the ship, only able to interact with the crew because of EDI.  We need to find a clone body for her.  We were hoping… ”

“… hoping I would know where Cerberus was creating and growing clones, Commander?”  Lawson interrupted with a hint of anger.  “Is that the only bloody reason you saved me?  You needed… ”

“… we started looking for you… the Reapers started looking for you... weeks ago, Miranda.  This… ” Xiùlán waved her arm over Lawson’s form, “… wasn’t something any of us expected, and I am sorry you feel… gǒu shǐ, [牛屎 _\- Cow feces{Bullshit}]_  Miranda!  Do you think for one nano-second we engineered your kidnapping and torture just so we could ride in to the rescue?  Shèng tā mā de gǒu shǐ!”  [聖他媽的狗屎！-  _Holy fucking shit!]_

Xiùlán stood and walked to the large window looking out over the circular presidium ring, where countless air cars all moved purposefully towards unknown destinations.  Something about  _this_  window bothered her, along with the pedestrian bridge some 450 meters away.  Looking quickly around the window frame, she discovered and promptly activated the switch to close this window’s blast shield.  As the curved metal panels began descending across the wide expanse of bowed windows, Xiùlán turned back towards Lawson’s bed, intending to better explain why the Alliance so desperately needed her.

The sound of the shattering polycarbonate window reached her ears simultaneous to the armor-piercing slug hitting her square in the middle of the shield generator and assault rifle dock that formed the armor plates across her back; the impact hurled her across the compartment, slamming her violently into the opposite wall.  Her upper body fell partially onto a lab table, from which she slid to lie on the floor like a discarded doll.

Miranda was not so drugged she couldn’t react; she grabbed her hidden pistol and rolled out of the med bed to the floor just before a second high-powered round came through the now empty frame, ripping through her blankets and shattering against an inner window frame above Xiùlán; Private Abbott entered the room on his belly, looking towards the source of the gunfire.  Hamilton closed and locked the door against the chaos around him as Abbott called the _Hong Kong_ for backup, then called C-Sec headquarters for this area.

By now the blast screen had completed its descent, latching into place to cover the entire window.  Another bullet hit the shield, leaving a deep indentation in the metal.

Hamilton could be heard on the PA system, shouting,  _”LOCKDOWN!  LOCKDOWN!  This is not_ _a drill!  Everyone take cover!  Doctor Michel, lock this area down to all but C-Sec personnel!_

Abbott had crawled over to Miranda, where he made sure she hadn’t suffered any further injuries.  “Move all the way into that back corner and make yourself small as you can, Ma’am.”

Miranda began moving as directed while Abbott moved over to Xiùlán’s motionless body.  Fearing for the worst, he decided against attempting to move her, choosing instead to check for a pulse; after a bit of a search, he finally found one in her neck, faint, irregular.  Blood was seeping from her nostrils and there was a lot of blood in her mouth.  Sparks were coming from her damaged shield generator, no doubt short-circuited by the bullet’s impact.  Abbott carefully reached around behind her collar, found the actuator and switched it off.

“Is she okay, Private?  Is she still alive?”  Miranda asked, real concern in her voice.

“Alive, just,” came the reply.  Activating his comlink, he called Hamilton.

 _“Here.  Sitrep?”_ came the reply.

“Blast shield’s down and secured.  Commander’s out, on the deck… injured pretty bad,” Abbott reported.  “Bloody nose, mouth.  Heart faint, irregular.  Can’t turn her… ”

_“Listen, get your ass into a defensible position just in case I can’t hold this door.  Sit tight in there… Captain’s got help on the way from the ship; C-Sec should be here shortly.”_

“C.c… cr… crew… on… ly, g… gu… uys.  Bù [不 _– No_ ]… sss… se… see-sec”

Abbott looked at Xiùlán.  She had her eyes open, barely.  “Dammit, Boss.  You scared the hell outa us.”  He laid down beside her so he could look at her eyes without moving her head.  Bringing up a miniature light on his omnitool, he tested pupil reaction…  dammit!…  unequal.  “Hamilton!  She’s got a concussion.  We need to get this shit cleared up fast.”

_“Roger that.  Standby… ”_

“C… cr... ew… on… ly, g… gu… uys,” she repeated in halting speech.  “n… no… see-sec.”

Hamilton jumped as a hand touched his shoulder.  Looking around, he recognized Doctor Michel.

“Can you let me inside, Private?  Perhaps I can assist.”

Xiùlán overheard this on the com and whispered,  _”Bù!… N… no!”_

Hamilton looked at Doctor Michel and said, “Sorry.  Commander doesn’t want you inside.”

“I’m sorry too, Private.”  With that, she quickly set the tip of an injector to his neck and pressed the actuator, causing him to instantly and silently collapse.

She quickly stood, ran to the segmented door from the lobby and overrode the lock, thus allowing six heavily armed turians in C-Sec armor entry to the short hallway.

Abbott had heard a bit of what was going on outside, and could see the turians as they approached the door.  Pulling Xiùlán’s pistol, he tossed it to Miranda, then slid back across the floor to the opposite corner.  He knew the turians were coming in blind, as the electro-chromatic glass was opaque towards the outside.  Looking at Miranda, he was pleased to see her lying on her right side, partially behind a laboratory bench, both pistols up and ready in front of her.  He pulled his own assault rifle, quickly set it for auto-burst/incendiary and waited.

 _“Ki… kill… doc… ,”_  Xiùlán whispered on the com just as the latching mechanism turned green, allowing the door to begin opening.

The turians grouped outside had arranged themselves three low/three high so all could fire their weapons unimpeded; they were welcomed with a fusillade of incendiary bullets accompanied by a large number of rapidly fired heavy-pistol rounds even  _before_  the door segments were fully retracted.  Just before the door could begin its auto-close sequence, Doctor Michel attempted to toss a flash-bang into the compartment; this effort was rewarded with several bullets hitting her in the chest, causing her to drop the live grenade at her feet as she collapsed, mortally wounded.  The flash-bang detonated from partially beneath her, lifting her torso and finishing the job started by the bullets from Abbott’s gun.  An eerie silence replaced the echoing sounds of gunfire.  Abbott looked at Xiùlán, who simply whispered, “Liánghǎo... ” [良好 _\- Good]_ over the comm before she once again lost consciousness.

* * *

*** SSV Hong Kong II • QEC AND WAR ROOM ***

Captain Bill Cody was talking with Captain Zackary Martinez onboard the _SSV Stalingrad_ as it moved in low Earth orbit.  “I had several fire teams on the ground supported by an M35, Captain,” Martinez related.  “Checked that building top-to-bottom… lots of bodies, virtually all batarians, on the main level and the two below on the side the Commander entered.  No one left alive inside; looks like it was abandoned rather hastily after Yuán’s assault.”  He paused to study a datapad he held.  “Sent an A-61 down to survey the area for 15-25 klicks all ‘round… nothing moving down there but cockroaches… the  _insect_  kind.  I asked Harbinger to put a Destroyer on the ground there to continue the search… also asked that we be allowed to deal with whatever form of human or batarian or turian scavenger is discovered, just so we can make positive idents on people.  No use having survivors thinking they’re still being stalked by the Reapers.”

Cody looked thoughtful as he replied, “I’ll send a note to Admiral Hackett… ask him to prod the ruling council into declaring martial law,  _if_  they’re still alive  _and_  they haven’t thought to do so already.  Don’t know how much good it will do; without a military presence on the ground, the gangs are pretty much free to do as they wish.”

Martinez nodded his head, then smiled.  “Harbinger has informed us the Arcturus relay is completely operational… if he can bring the rest of the Fifth Fleet, plus any other surviving Alliance ships, it would really bolster our ability to maintain order, at least around whatever is left of Alliance bases.  The Repositories there can guard  _that_  relay.”

“Sounds like we’re going to be spread pretty thin.  We can’t let the Blue Suns get their hooks into the planet or our colonies, Zackary.”

An alarm sounded, causing Cody to briefly look over his shoulder before continuing, “It will be up to Harbinger to deploy enough of his brethren to all the systems and their colonies.  I find it hard to believe the Suns, Blood Pack and Eclipse have that many survivors.”

An announcement replaced the alarm:  _‘Captain Cody to the CIC.  Captain to CIC.’_

“Looks like I’m needed, Zackary.  It’s been a pleasure talking to you.  I’ll contact you as soon as I deal with whatever trouble has come up.”

“Wouldn’t have anything to do with Blue Suns on the Citadel, would it?”  Martinez grinned and said, “Good luck,” then cut the connection.

* * *

*** SSV Hong Kong II • CIC ***

Captain Cody walked around the bulkhead between the QEC entry and the CIC.  “Lieutenant Cross, sitrep, please.”

Cross brought up a tactical display of Huerta Memorial in place of the galaxy map and pointed to a flashing symbol.  “Marines guarding Miss Lawson are being attacked, Sir.  Private Abbott is inside the room with Miss Lawson… Private Hamilton is outside the door.  Abbott requested a team from the ship and C-Sec, in that order.  Commander Yuán was there to interview Miss Lawson and her doctor… lost her telemetry right before Abbott’s request for assistance.  We better get a fire team in there sir… C-Sec’s ranks are pretty thin these days and… ” Cross paused as he looked at the data scrolling by on his terminal.  “Just lost Hamilton, Sir.  He’s dead.”

Cody activated his comlink as he headed for the port airlock.  “Get two teams on the way, Lieutenant.  Keep in constant contact with them  _and_  me.  Have the teams approach from opposite sides.”

“Anyone encountered in C-Sec uniforms is to be detained until we can establish their identity.  They resist, shoot ‘em… assume hostile until proven otherwise.  Get Doctor Phelps on his way… have him go in with fire team Bravo.”

 _“Aye aye, Sir.  Just heard from Abbott… Commander is down, injured pretty bad.  Miss Lawson is okay.”_ Cross paused as he listened to Abbott.  _”Doctor Michel is dead.  Abbott had to shoot her.  Looks like she wasn’t an innocent party.”_

“Acknowledged, Lieutenant.  You’re in charge of the boat,” he replied.

_“Aye, Sir.”_

That Commander Yuán was severely injured hit like an icy cold hand around his heart.  He wouldn’t admit it to anyone, hated admitting it to himself, but  _damn_!  Xiùlán was special to him,  _very_  special.  If she wasn’t already involved with… but she  _was_  involved, dammit.  And now he feared he would have to stand in his QEC and tell Specialist Samantha Traynor that the love of her life had been killed on the Citadel… the goddamned Citadel, of all places.  _’Shit!  That is not going to happen,’_  he thought.  His fears lent speed to his feet as he ran for Huerta Memorial.

* * *

*** CITADEL • PRESIDIUM, HUERTA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL ***

_Commander Yuán Xiùlán was trying to run from her pursuers, but her legs and feet_ _were mired in an oozing, viscous mud.  Every time she attempted to move, she sank a little deeper without making any forward progress.  As the pursuit grew ever closer, the sounds became recognizable.  Laughter.  The laughing sounded like… donkeys, all braying/laughing at her for getting stuck in this mud._

_She desperately looked over her shoulder… they were close enough for her to make out faces… human faces!  On donkeys?  They all seemed to have the exact same face… his face.  Orange-red hair, watery-blue eyes… and that laugh – that sickening laugh.  It was Joesier.  His face, on twenty, thirty donkeys.  They were almost on her.  She couldn’t move, couldn’t turn or run.  They laughed louder and louder; the braying was deafening as they caught her, grabbed her arms, her legs.  She heard herself scream as she attempted to curl into a ball, attempted to protect herself from their leering faces._

_She felt movement around her.  She was moving… no, she was_ _being_ _moved.  The hands on her arms, on her legs, under her hips.  She could hear voices, gradually replacing the braying laughter.  The hands, gentle, caring.  She was gathered up, not unlike pieces of a broken toy that needed mending.  She groaned in pain as her body was shifted to some sort of surface, narrow, padded, warm.  Hooves?  Hands… yes, hands, removing her body armor, her gauntlets and gloves, her shield generator, her ceramic upper body plates.  She was lying on her side, dimly aware her cross-knit undershirt was being cut from her torso… sleeves first_  ( _Qǐng, bù!  Tā huāfèi yībǐ bù xiǎo!_ [請,不! 它花費一筆不小! – Please, do not!  It is not a small cost!)  _then up her back.  She was being stripped!  She could feel cool air on her back, her arms, her sides.  A hoof?  No, another hand, touched her back between her shoulder blades, eliciting another cry of pain._ She began sobbing; finding her voice she hissed, “Zàicì pèng wǒ, húndàn!  Wǒ huì shāle nǐ!” [再次碰我，混蛋！ 我會殺了你！ _– Touch me again, bastard!  I will kill you!_ _]_

Doctor Phelps looked at Captain Cody, a puzzled look on his face.  “What the hell did she just say, Captain?”

Cody sighed as he answered.  “Don’t know.  I don’t think you _want_ to know either, Doc.  If she’s speaking in Mandarin, it really makes no difference to me  _what_  she’s saying…  simply means she’s going to be okay.”

He bent down so he could watch her eyes.  “Xiùlán?  It’s Cody.  Xiùlán… wake up.”  He placed a finger on her cheek, traced her cheekbone from ear to jaw.  “Come on, Commander.  Let me know you’re still with me.”

 _That didn’t sound like braying.  It was the voice of someone she knew, someone she trusted.  She could feel a presence, right in front of her.  Eyes… open… dim light in front of her.  Blurry face… Cody?  ‘Wǒ lēi gè qù?’_ [我勒個去？– What the hell?]  “Cap’n?  Zat’chu?”

Cody hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath until he started breathing again and replied, “Dammit, Xiùlán!  You  _really_  had me worried!

“Wa’… ’appnd?  Wair… am I?”

“Second question first… you’re still inside Huerta Memorial, but as a patient.  As to what happened?  You took an armor piercing round square in your back, Commander.  Hit your armor plate… fractured it, actually, destroyed your shield generator.  Armor spread the impact across your back and shoulders.  Threw you across the room head first into the opposite wall.  Gave you a concussion… ”

Xiùlán groaned as she tried to move her legs, causing Doctor Phelps to comment from close behind her, “I wouldn’t do that, Commander.  You’re stuck in that position, at least until I can make a back brace for you.  Need to keep your upper body straight for a few days.  Bullet didn’t pierce your back, but the impact?  Probably like being hit by a shuttle moving at, oh, maybe 1500 to 2000 meters a second.  Your armor did its job, Commander.  The fact you’re still here to complain about the pain speaks to its quality.”

Xiùlán grimaced as she asked, “Amiltn?  Abbit?  M’randa?”

“Miranda’s fine.  She helped Abbott when the turians showed up.  Unfortunately…  Hamilton was killed… murdered, apparently by Doctor Michel.  We’re still piecing things together, but it appears Doctor Michel may have been working  _with_  the Blue Suns.  Abbott and Miranda killed six turians in C-Sec armor… all had Blue Suns tattoos.”

Wha… ?  How… ?

“Shhhhh, Xiùlán.  You need to sleep… heal.  We’ll talk tomorrow.  I have to go see Admiral Hackett, tell ‘im what happened.  I imagine there’ll be some tough questions asked of C-Sec command staff.  Go back to sleep… you’ll feel better in twelve or sixteen.”  Cody looked around the room… there was no one else here to observe; he kissed her gently on the cheek before straightening up.  “Take good care of her, Doc.  I’ll be back after a while.”

* * *

*** PRESIDIUM • EMBASSY LEVEL, COMMANDER BAILEY’S OFFICE ***

To say that C-Sec Commander Bailey was unhappy would be a gross understatement.  He was trying to understand how six turians from the Blue Suns had managed to purloin official C-Sec armor and keycards in an attempt to kill or kidnap a patient in Huerta Memorial.  The firefight in the hallway outside the patient’s door had left them dead, plus an Alliance marine assigned to protect said patient; more incredibly, the patient’s doctor had been killed, shot in the chest from inside the room by the other Alliance marine assigned to guard duty.  Eight people dead.

Then there was the matter of an Alliance Navy Commander severely injured, nearly killed by a sniper outside, from a good 425 to 450 meters.  This day, after starting out rather peacefully, had gone to ‘hell in a hand basket’, as the saying went.  Now there were Alliance naval personnel and marines all over the Presidium.  His own investigators were being kept away from the crime scene.  Bailey was expecting a visit from the captain of the _SSV Hong Kong_ , the Alliance frigate that had arrived two days before.  Maybe he’d be willing to provide some answers.

He looked up at the sound of the door hissing open to admit two men in Alliance uniforms; the taller of the two looked rather imposing in his dress blues.  As they stepped into the light, Bailey recognized the dress blues as belonging to Alliance Fleet Admiral Steven Hackett.  Bailey’s previous service in the Alliance Navy caused him to immediately stand and salute this man, even though protocol didn’t require it.

Hackett returned the salute, then offered his hand as he stopped at Bailey’s desk.  “Commander Bailey, a pleasure.  I’ve heard a lot about you.”  He turned towards his companion and continued, “This is Captain William Cody of the _Hong Kong_ , Commander.  I’ll let him fill you in on what we’ve discovered regarding the attack.”

Cody shook Bailey’s hand, then gave him a data pad as the two officers sat down in front of the desk.  Bailey glanced at it curiously, but waited for an explanation as he returned to his own chair.

“Commander,” Cody began, “everything we’ve learned so far is entered on that data pad.”

Hackett continued with the explanation.  “We thought it’d save us all a bit of time, but here are the highlights.  The patient we were… are… protecting is Miranda Lawson, a former Cerberus agent whom I’m sure you must remember.  Cody’s people rescued her from Blue Suns captivity on Earth… Vancouver area, near where our North American West Coast Headquarters was before the Reapers destroyed it.  Her injuries were severe enough to require a hospital visit, which is why we’re here.”

Bailey asked, almost as if to himself, “Why in hell would the Blue Suns want Miranda Lawson?”  He looked up at Cody.  “How did your people know the turians were imposters?”

“They didn’t, at least not until they attempted to storm the room in force.”  Cody replied.  “The victim of the sniper attack is my XO.  She was down, but still had enough presence of mind to order the marines to  _not_  allow C-Sec in the room.”

Bailey asked, “How’s she doing, Captain?”

“Looks like she’ll be fine.”  Cody responded.  “Bullet fractured her ceramic hard plate, destroyed her shield generator, threw her head-first into the opposite wall.  But she’s a fighter… we’ll have a tough time getting her to stay off her feet long enough to heal.”

Hackett said, “As for why the Suns want to get their hands on Lawson… could be any number of reasons.  She’s former Cerberus.  The Illusive Man screwed them over a number of times, and she was his right hand during that time.  Hell, she and Zaeed Massani helped Commander Shepard rescue a super biotic from the prison ship Purgatory, after which they destroyed the damned thing.  Shepard encountered and destroyed a lot of Blue Suns members during her campaign to end the Collectors, and she had a lot of help from Lawson and Cerberus.

Bailey looked thoughtfully at the pair.  “Give me a few days on this, gentlemen… I’ll have two of my lieutenants do some quiet looking,” he indicated the data pad in front of him, “at the information you’ve collected, see if we can determine just how deeply the Blue Suns are involved in this.  In the meantime… ”

Cody finished for him, “… in the meantime, we have marines stationed about the area.  We’re going to put Miss Lawson in the same room as my XO… make it easier to keep watch over them.”  Cody finished with the obvious, “The _Hong Kong_ will be docked here until the commander can return to duty.

“Of course, Captain.  Admiral?  It was nice to see both of you.  I just wish the circumstances were different.  I’ll contact both of you as soon as I’ve learned more.”

* * *

*** HUERTA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL • SECURE PATIENT CARE ***

Miranda Lawson woke up to a dark room.  She could hear someone’s breathing close by… could hear the nearly muted sounds of another monitor recording pulse, respiration, blood pressure, brain activity.  Even with her eye adjusted to the darkness she could not see anyone, and it hurt too damn much to even attempt to roll over to her other side.  She found and pressed the call button next to her pillow and waited.

The duty nurse entered the room and increased the indirect lighting around the mid-rail.  “What may I do for you, Miss Lawson?’

“There’s another person in the room.  Can you tell me who it is?”

The nurse smiled as she replied, “Commander Yuán Xiùlán.  She’s the execu… ”

“… I know her,” Miranda interrupted.  “This morning she took a bullet meant for me.  Why is she in  _here_?”

“You’re both under Alliance protection, Ma’am… Alliance marines all over this wing…  C-Sec has been prohibited from being here after what happened.”

“Is one of the marines outside named ‘Abbott’?”  she asked.

“I don’t know, Ma’am.  Give me a few minutes, I’ll find out.”

“If you find him, would you ask him to come see me?”

“Certainly, Ma’am.  I’ll be right back.”

Miranda thanked her as she turned to leave.  She didn’t have long to wait… the nurse returned with Private Abbott, then asked if there was anything else.

“Would you mind rearranging these beds so I can talk to the commander when she awakens?”  Miranda asked.  “I cannot roll over, and I doubt she’s very mobile just yet.”

The nurse rearranged the two beds with help from Abbott.  Miranda could now see Xiùlán’s face without having to lift her head.  “Thank you very much,” she said.

Private Abbott moved to stand between the beds as the nurse left.  “Nurse said you wanted to speak to me?”

“Yes, Private,” Miranda replied.  “In all the confusion after… I never had a chance to properly thank you for defending me… so,  _thank_  you.  And I am so sorry about Hamilton.  I never got to thank him for carrying me up those bloody stairs back on Earth.”  She paused, then said, “I wanted to ask…” before trailing off, unsure of how to phrase her request.

Abbott moved to pick up a small utility bag he’s set down when he entered.  Reaching in as he returned to stand by Miranda, he pulled out a heavy pistol.  “I believe this is the gun the commander gave you when you landed outside.”  He handed it to her, along with a spare heat sink.  “Keep that hidden, Ma’am,” he said with a grin.

Miranda smiled as she asked, “How did you know what I was going to say, Private?”

His grin turned into a full-blown smile.  “Just a hunch, Ma’am.”  He pulled out another pistol, a heavily modified M-11 Suppressor.  “This one belongs to the commander, Ma’am.  Perhaps you can return it to her when she wakes up… don’t think she’ll be doing any hand-to-hand for a while.”  Abbott handed the pistol and a spare heat sink to her.

Miranda took the pistol, secreting it in her covers on the opposite side of the Predator Abbott had just given her.  “Thank you, Private Abbott.  I’ll keep it safe for her.”

She turned her attention to Xiùlán as Abbott quietly left.  Miranda had questions for the commander, but they would keep until she was awake.  She studied the face of the sleeping woman… relaxed… at peace… until her own eye began to feel heavy with sleep.  “Good night, Xiùlán.  Sleep well,” she murmured as she drifted off.

* * *

*** SSV Hong Kong II • QEC AND WAR ROOM ***

Captain Cody had returned to the _Hong Kong_ after leaving Bailey’s office on the Citadel.

He knew that Hackett, in his Command Shuttle in the hanger deck, was ordering the _Orizaba_ to the Widow System and the remnants of the Fifth Fleet to fly through Charon to reinforce the three frigates and one cruiser that had made the trip within Harbinger.  The turian cruiser had already departed through Charon, bound for the Apien Crest.

Cody hardly ever drank hard liquor; today was different.  In his quarters he had poured himself two fingers of a fine whiskey and downed it in a single motion, savoring the burn of the alcohol and the heat generated in the center of his gut.  His XO had nearly lost her life on the Citadel.  One of his marines had died… been murdered!… through treachery, by a respected doctor inside a respected hospital.  He couldn’t begin to imagine how that was possible, but it  _had_  happened nonetheless.

His thoughts were interrupted by a figure appearing from a swirling mass of pixels in his QEC.  The image resolved into that of Captain Zackary Martinez on the _Stalingrad_ , currently in orbit about Earth.

“Captain Cody?  How bad was the trouble on the Citadel?”  He must have been able to discern Cody’s glum expression within his own QEC.  “Everything okay?”

“I’m not going to lie to you, Zackary.  I damned near lost my XO to a Blue Suns sniper today.  The admiral is in the process of ordering the remainder of the Fifth Fleet to Earth to assist you, and he has the backing of the Alliance military in declaring a state of martial law on Earth  _and_  its colonies.  The Blue Suns have completely crossed the line, Zackary.  I intend to see Solem Dal’serah’s and Vido Santiago’s heads on pikes, and their entire organization destroyed.”

“My god, Bill!  Is Yuán going to recover?  What happened to her?”  There was real worry in his voice, in his expression.

Cody was touched that Martinez was showing such concern for Xiùlán.  “Our ship’s doctor believes she’ll be back on her feet in short order; woman’s a real fighter.  I’m sending a transcript within the carrier wave… it’ll give you the blow-by-blow.”  Cody’s expression hardened further.  “I’ll be damned if I’ll let those mercenary bastards simply waltz in and take over… not after we spent so many lives kicking the Reapers off our planet, out of our system.”

“Whatever you need to do, I’m with you, Captain,” Martinez declared.  “Tell the commander I’m thinking about her, okay?”

“You got it.  We’ll talk soon,” Cody said, then dropped the connection.


	36. Tali's Confession

_Oh no.  Don’t smile.  You’ll kill me.  I stop breathing when you smile._ \- Tessa Dare, _A Lady of Persuasion_

* * *

 *** HUERTA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL • SECURE PATIENT CARE *  
** **_– FOURTEEN HOURS LATER –_ **

Miranda Lawson was awakened by a low groan from the patient in the bed next to hers.  Alliance Staff Commander Yuán Xiùlán was gradually waking up, and it sounded as if the process was a painful one.  “Xiùlán?” Miranda whispered.  “Commander?”

Yuán opened her eyes one at a time, as if the effort to open both at once was too much to attempt.  As Lawson’s face swam into focus, the memories came back in a rush…the splintering sound of shattering polycarbonate, the impact on her ceramic armor plate and shield generator, _her_ impact with the opposite wall.  “H…ho…w long…?”

“About eighteen hours since you stopped a bullet meant for me, Commander.” 

“N…na…name’s Xiùlán,” she whispered.  “Where…?”

“Huerta Memorial, Xiùlán.  You’re still in hospital.  Do you remember anything of the assault?”

“Zǐdàn... Dǎ wǒ…” [子彈...打我 _\- Bullet…hit me_ ] she closed her eyes again, tried to think.  “There was… something… memory… s’all blurry… Shuí?” [誰？- _Who?_ ]

“My Chinese is quite rusty, Xiùlán, as in _I cannot understand what you’re saying_ rusty,” Miranda replied softly.  “I would have to guess you remember getting hit by an armor piercing round fired from some distance, and I expect you’re still alive _only_ because of distance and the bullet having to break a window first.  You’re incredibly lucky to still be alive.” 

A male voice spoke up from the doorway.  “I’d bet she doesn’t feel so lucky at the moment.” 

Miranda raised her head slightly and was relieved to see it was Xiùlán’s captain from the _Hong Kong_.  “Good afternoon, Captain Cody.” 

“Hello, Miss Lawson.  How are _you_ feeling today?”

“Physically?  I’m healing, Captain… getting a bit stronger every day.  Having to roll out of bed and fight off six turians hell-bent on killing me was a real adrenaline rush.  I don’t recommend it.” 

Cody nodded his head.  “I just came down to see the commander, see if she’s awake, maybe able to talk.” 

“Well then, I certainly hope you can understand Mandarin, Captain,” Lawson said, her tone ever so slightly snarky.

“Oh, I think I’ll be okay,” Cody replied with a grin.

Realization dawned on Miranda, and Cody must have read it in her face, because just as she said, “My god, Captain! You’re in…” he placed the top of his index finger vertically on his lips, spreading the other fingers in a non-verbal ‘stop’ sign and looked imploringly at her; she went silent and ‘ _mouthed’_ the other three words, ‘ _… love with her!’_

Cody moved to stand between Miranda’s and Xiùlán’s med beds, then used one hand to gently pull a few strands of stray hair away from her face; her lack of reaction to this indicated she had gone back to sleep, or she was very good at imitating an opossum.  He brought a stool over and sat down facing Miranda.  “I think she went back to sleep… I have some questions for you if you’re feeling up to it.” 

“She’s been in and out for the past couple of hours, Captain… mostly out.  Can’t imagine what getting hit in the back like that would do to _any_ one’s motivation to be up and around.” 

Cody nodded and said, “Doctor Phelps took down the sedative in her intravenous fluids.  She should wake up soon.  In the meantime, do you have any questions?”

Miranda tilted her bed up as she replied, “Can you tell me why my biotics are being blocked?  The Suns had me blocked while I was a prisoner… am I a prisoner here, Captain?”

Cody smiled as he answered, “You’re free to leave whenever you wish, Ms Lawson… just say the word, we’ll bring you clothes and show you the door.”  His smile faded a bit as he continued, “Your amp is being blocked with a specific ‘cocktail’ of drugs, stuff we obtained from the asari.  You were…” he paused, massaging his temples between thumb and two fingers, “… having nightmares, Ma’am.  Your amp almost overcame the meds on two separate occasions.  Blocking you is for our safety and your benefit.” 

“Right before Commander Yuán was shot…,” Miranda hesitated before she continued, “She was pissed at me… cursed in Chinese, I think… for even thinking you saved me so I could give you secrets about Cerberus.  She didn’t actually say, but I believe she’s looking for other possible sites to find cloned bodies… said some nonsense about Commander Shepard still being alive… and that the Alliance started looking for me weeks ago.”   

“She was being truthful, Miss Lawson.  We _have_ been looking for you for a number of weeks.  _And_ , Commander Shepard _is_ alive… her essence, her soul, whatever you want to call it,” Cody responded.  “I’ve seen her.  Her crew all believes in her.  The Repository in which the _Normandy_ is being carried believes in her.  We want to give her the chance to walk with us, live with us again.  After all she did to stop the Reapers, I think she deserves to enjoy her victory, don’t you?

“Wait, what?  The _Normandy_ is inside a Reaper?”  Miranda was incredulous.  “What the fu...?”

“… it’s a long story, Miranda,” Cody interrupted.  “If you’re up to doing a little reading, I’ll send you a data pad that tells the entire story.  The highlights?  Shepard jumped into the energy beam generated by the Crucible, adding her DNA to the plasma stream… it’s the reason our eyes glow.  The theory on her survival takes a real leap of faith, I’m afraid.” 

Miranda simply nodded her head as Cody paused.  “Try me,” she said.

“Her physical body died, of that we’re certain, and her injuries were so severe she was only minutes from dying anyway.  Her essence, her soul, her intelligence, _that_ part of her that made _her_ Rachaél Anne Shepard, an orphan from Mindoir, the so called ‘Butcher of Torfan’, a hero in the battle with Sovereign, became part of the energy wave as it radiated out from the Crucible.” 

“The wave overtook the _Normandy_ before it hit the relay for Arcturus, dropped her into the ship’s computer.  We think it’s because of all the Reaper tech grafted into her by Cerberus _and_ the fact the _Normandy SR-2’s_ computer core was constructed with recovered components from the computer core inside Sovereign.  Hell, the ship still has the IF/F device you helped recover from the derelict Reaper over Mnemosyne.” 

“The Illusive Man was never shy about using advanced tech to further his goals, especially if he could appropriate it from the Reapers,” Miranda said in a quiet voice.  “Was _he_ indoctrinated?  Did he die on the Crucible, Captain?”

“My guess is yes to the first question.  Shepard told Liara T’Soni…”

Miranda interrupted, “…Liara’s alive?  Is she on the _Normandy_ as well?”

Cody smiled.  “Yes, to both questions.  As for Jack Harper, Shepard convinced him that he could not control the Reapers.  He took his own life after threatening hers.   

Miranda brought her hand up and covered her eyes as tears started rolling out of her uncovered right eye.  “Dead?  The sonovabitch is really dead,” she sniffled.  “Hard to believe… all this.”  She grabbed some tissue, wiped her eye and blew her nose.  “That’s quite a story, Captain.  A lot to take in all at once.  I knew about Shepard dying on the Citadel, but that she’s actually still alive.  Truly amazing!  And what did you call the Reapers?”

“Repositories… it’s what they consider themselves to be, the reason for their existence.  Hell, some even consider themselves to be ‘Guardians’.  They wish to protect certain individuals.  They consider Shepard to be something akin to a deity… refer to her as _‘The Shepard’_ , or _‘Shepard-Normandy’_.  I suppose Repository is as good a moniker as any, since each one contains the collective history and intelligence of the races they harvested.” 

Cody turned around to look at Xiùlán…reaching out, he stroked her cheek with the backs of his fingers, and was rewarded by her opening her eyes to look at him.

“Wǒ zěnme shuì dézháo?  Yǒu tài duō de zàoyīn,” [我怎麼睡得著？有太多的噪音。- _How can I sleep?  There is too much noise]_ she mumbled around a frown.  She tried to move and abruptly stopped, her eyes reflecting the intense stab of pain she felt.  “Mā de! Wèishéme wǒ de bèibù shānghài!”  [媽的！為什麼我的背部傷害！? - _Oh shit!  Why (does) my back hurt!?]_

Cody took her hand and said, “It’s good to have you back on this side again, Xiùlán, even if I don’t have a clue what you’re asking.  Think you can still speak Galactic?”

Puzzlement was obvious in her expression.  “Bù míngbái.”  [不明白。- _Do not understand]_

Cody had a difficult time keeping his concern from coloring his response.  “Xiùlán? Perhaps that concussion did some damage the doctors didn’t find.  Are you sure you can’t speak Galactic?  I mean, seriously?”

Xiùlán softly said, “Who _are_ you?  I don’t understand,” before she just couldn’t keep up the charade any longer and slowly, ever so slowly, began to smile.  “Hello, Bill.  Miss me?”

Cody realized instantly he’d been had.  “Dammit, Commander.  If you weren’t already suffering I’d add a punch in the nose to your list of injuries! What you just did could cause a heart attack or a stroke in an old man like me.”  Hearing quiet giggling behind him, he whirled around to find Miranda attempting to smother her laughter in her pillow.  “Not _helping_ , Miss Lawson… not helping a damned bit!  But it _is_ good to see both of you still have a sense of humor after all you’ve been through.” 

Turning back to Xiùlán, he said, “I’m heading back to the ship so I can contact the _Normandy_ and speak to Specialist Traynor… tell her about the mean streak you seem to have developed.” 

“I’m sorry, Captain,” she said, attempting to appear contrite and failing miserably.  “It just seemed too good an opportunity to pass up.  I’m tired of everyone going around grim-faced all the time.  We need to have a bit of fun, a reason to laugh somehow, don’t you think?”

Cody clasped her hand and said, “You get well, dammit.  The _Hong Kong_ won’t sail until you’re back on board, hear me?”

“Loud and clear, Captain.”  She looked at him closely.  “Bill… thanks… for being here.  Means a lot to me… more than I can say.”  Xiùlán kissed the back of his hand and let go.

Cody said, “We’ll talk later, Commander.  Oh, by the way, Martinez of the _Leningrad_ sends _his_ regards.  Asked me to tell you he’s thinking of you.  You really made an impression on that man.  Bet his crew is pleased.  Must be _PFM_ , huh?”

Turning to Miranda, he said, “I’ll send the data pad we spoke of.  Private Abbott or Corporal Vic will bring it by.  For your eyes only, understand? The Commander here can answer any questions you may have.”  He looked at Xiùlán again, smiled, then turned and left.

When they were alone again, Miranda looked at Xiùlán and said, “You realize he is totally besotted with you.” 

“I do…” she smiled.  “Known for quite some time.  Not that he would ever admit to it.  He’s a good man, Miranda… one of the kindest, most trusting people I’ve ever known.  Do anything for his crew, for me.  He _does_ know I’m committed to… well, the specialist on the _Normandy_.”  Indicating her left leg, she continued, “She was my partner in the Terminus, the one I mentioned when we talked on the ship.  I owe my life to her.” 

Lawson dug around under her covers for a moment and brought out the M-11 pistol Abbott had left with her last evening. Saying, “Here’s your sidearm, Commander,” she handed the pistol to Xiùlán.  “Abbott didn’t think you’d be able to throw bad guys around for a bit.”  She rummaged around a bit more, retrieved the spare heat sink and handed it over as well.  “I think between the two of us we could do a bit of damage.” 

“Here’s hoping we won’t need to,” Xiùlán replied.  “Had enough tā mā de [他媽的 – _fuck(ing)]_ excitement to last me a long time…” she sighed heavily as she closed her eyes, “… a _really_ long time.” 

Miranda asked, “Going back to sleep?”

“No.  Keep talking to me… keep me awake.  Haven’t had another woman to talk with in forever.  Feels good.  Tell me about your work rebuilding Shepard’s body.  What were the challenges?”

* * *

 Captain Bill Cody paused outside the main elevator, thought for several moments, then activated his comlink as he entered the car and selected the embassy level… _‘May as well pay a visit to Commander Bailey while I’m ashore.’_    Hailing the ship, he said, “Lieutenant Cross?… Captain Cody,” and waited.  He mentally counted _‘one thousand one, one thousand two’_ before he had a reply.

_“This is Cross, Sir.  What may I do for you, Captain?”_

“I need two things, Lieutenant.  There’s a data pad in the middle of the desk in my quarters, marked ‘Subject: Rachaél Anne Shepard’.  I need you to retrieve that device and give it to Corporal Vic… he’s been released to light duty and I think a stroll on the Citadel would do him a world of good.  Have him meet me…,” he paused as the doors parted for his selected floor and he stepped out, “…in the lobby of the embassy wing, next to the Avina terminal.  I’m going to visit Commander Bailey in C-Sec, and I need to encode that data pad for Miss Lawson’s eyes only, after which he’ll be delivering it to her in Huerta Memorial.  Give ‘im a chance to visit with Commander Yuán.” 

_“Aye aye, Sir.  Anything else?”_

“That’s all for now, Lieutenant.  I should be back on board in less than two hours.” 

 _“Aye, Sir.”_  Cody heard the connection close as he headed for the stairs to Bailey’s office.

* * *

*** NORMANDY • DECK THREE, MAIN BATTERY ***

Tali’Zorah walked slowly through the passageway from the crew’s mess area to the access hatch for the _Normandy’s_ main weapons battery compartment.  She had spent a long, sleepless night thinking about the major changes about to occur inside the ship.  At the urging of Samantha Traynor and with the blessing of her promised, Liara T’Soni was moving her Shadow Broker operation into a Reaper Destroyer… the same Reaper responsible for the fresh provisions she now enjoyed.  Iringù-Eßizkur had agreed to serve as Liara’s mobile headquarters, and for the life of her, Tali could not see any downside to the arrangement!

Iringù-Eßizkur was a living synthetic intelligence, totally able to direct herself (it displayed a distinct feminine personality, unlike every other Reaper she had encountered, including the one on Rannoch) and did not require a crew; this made _her_ (Tali still had a difficult time accepting a gender-specific designation for a Reaper) the best choice for the Shadow Broker’s new mobile platform.  The ship Liara had ‘inherited’ from the previous broker at Hagalaz was not suitable for traversing deep space, whereas Iringù-Eßizkur could travel anywhere in the galaxy… didn’t even need the relays for systems close together, and it’s defensive capabilities were second only to a capitol Reaper such as Žiuk’Durmah.  Major Alenko and Specialist Traynor had led a short meeting of some key personnel in order to determine if someone from the _Normandy_ should accompany Liara on her journey.

To her credit, Doctor T’Soni had made it abundantly clear she neither wanted nor needed a companion, but the major _and_ the specialist both felt a second person aboard Iringù-Eßizkur would add to Liara’s safety… Iringù-Eßizkur’s machinery was good, _her_ ‘bots were quite capable, but there was a certain comfort factor gained by not sending Liara out all alone.  It had been readily apparent that Garrus or herself, or even both of them together, would be the best candidates for the ‘new posting’.  Neither of them were Alliance crew members… their presence on the _Normandy_ was certainly not ‘mission critical’, particularly now they were only weeks from the Apien Crest.  True, the ship was not fully staffed, having escaped from Earth in the middle of a refit as the Reapers attacked, but the _Normandy_ had not been traveling free in space since hitching a ride within Žiuk’Durmah.  Tali had immediately told Garrus she could not accompany him within a Reaper.  She told everyone of the difficult time she had simply performing installations within the giant machine, and _that_ had only been for two days.

She had been so upset after yesterday’s conference she hadn’t talked to Garrus, or anyone else concerning her feelings about him possibly joining the Shadow Broker, until earlier at breakfast.  Gabriella Daniels had just finished her early morning workout and shower.  Sitting down across from the unhappy quarian, she came right to the point.  “Tali, what’s going on?  I’ve never seen you like this.”

Tali had replied in halting sentences between bites of Rannochian bread and sips of tea.  “Everything is changing, Gabby.  Garrus is planning on leaving me behind, joining Liara T’Soni on board that bosh’tet Reaper Destroyer that’ll be the Shadow Broker’s new home.” 

“Have you told him how you feel about him, Tali?”  Gabby had reached across the table, taken her hand.  “Does he know you’re head over heels in love with him?”

Tali looked down, blushed and replied in a whisper, “We’ve never actually discussed our feelings for each other, Gabby.  Do you suppose that’s why he seems so willing to leave the _Normandy_ … leave me, behind?”

The propulsion engineer couldn’t conceal her surprise at this revelation.  She brought her other hand across the table, grabbing Tali’s free hand as she scolded, “Tali’Zorah vas Normandy!  You have absolutely got to talk to him, right away… right now!  You cannot leave something this important unsaid!”  She had gripped Tali’s hands tightly.  “You cannot allow him to leave this ship with any doubts about how you feel, Tali!  You cannot!”

Tali had stared at the young human female, surprised at the passion in her speech.  “I don’t know, Gabby.  What if he… do you really think…?”

Gabby leaned across the table as far as she could and hissed, “Dammit, Tali!  If you don’t march down that passageway and talk to that turian right now, so help me I will do it for you!  Do not let him get away from here not knowing how much you love him!”

All of this flashed through her mind as she paused three meters from the segmented hatch allowing access to the battery.  It was decision day, and she was going to explain herself to Garrus, make it clear how she felt about… him.  She looked back down the passage and saw Gabby standing by their table, motioning with her hands and arms for Tali to enter the battery.  Taking a deep breath, she approached and activated the hatch.

Garrus had his back to her as she entered; she closed the hatch and locked it so they wouldn’t be disturbed.  She cleared her throat and said, “Garrus, we need to talk.” 

His reply was as expected.  “Can it wait for a bit, Tali?  I’m right in the middle of some calibrations.” 

She walked to his right side and replied in a cool voice, “ _This_ cannot wait, Garrus.”  She placed a hand on his arm and continued.  “It’s important, and I _need_ your full attention.” 

Garrus looked at her, puzzlement plain in his expression.  Closing the interface in front of him, he turned to face her and said, “Okay, Tali.  What do you need?”

She looked up at him, watching his eyes.  “Garrus, you and I… well… I have never told you how… gosh, this compartment is really warm, isn’t it…?”

Garrus placed his hands on her arms at the shoulders; using his sub-harmonics to emphasize his words, he said, “Tali, what’s the matter?  Why are you so nervous?”

“Garrus, I… well, I want you to know… I love you, Garrus Vakarian.  There, it’s out in the open now.  I… love… you.  I’ve been afraid to tell you, afraid you would think I…”

It was Garrus’s turn to be tongue-tied.  “Tali, I… didn’t know, I hadn’t… no one has ever told me that, Tali.  I… Hmmmm,” he trailed off, sub-harmonics buzzing in his throat.

Tali was ready to cry.  “I’m so sorry, Garrus.  I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.  I’ll leave so you can finish…” she tried to turn away, but could not move with the turian’s hands on her arms.  She looked away, down at the deck, anywhere but at Garrus.

“Tali, wait, please!  Don’t go!  Listen to me!”  Garrus placed a finger under her chin, gently tipping her head up so her could look into her eyes… those beautiful opalescent eyes.  “Tali… I love you too.  I just haven’t been able to find the right time to tell you.” 

“You do?  Why didn’t…”

“I never told you because I thought you’d find it silly… a turian in love with a quarian.  But I find that I do love you, Tali’Zorah, I love you and… I need you.  Thinking about you was one of the few things that kept me going on Omega, Tali.  I love you so much, I cannot _begin_ to imagine my life without _you_ being a part of it.” 

Tali looked at Garrus as if seeing him for the very first time.  “Then why are you so anxious to leave the _Normandy_ with Liara, Garrus?” Tali cried.  “How do you think that makes me feel, knowing you’d leave me behind to travel with another female, an asari!… alone, inside a Reaper?”

“Tali, I didn’t think… I didn’t know… you’d feel this way about… me… leaving the _Normandy_!”  Garrus was having a hard time thinking of the right things to say to smooth this situation over.  “I am not deserting you for another woman, Tali’Zorah vas Normandy.   _Spirits!_  Liara T’Soni is Rachaél Shepard’s promised!  Do you _think_ for even one second I want to face a jealous, angry, Commander Shepard?  Let me be perfectly clear… you are the woman I love, Tali.   I cannot say it any plainer than that.  _I love you!”_

Tali gazed into Garrus’s brilliant blue eyes for a moment, a heartbeat, before throwing her arms around him, hugging him as tightly as she could and kissing him passionately, as if she were never going to see him again.

Garrus wrapped his own arms around her, taking care not to cut her suit with his talons.  He pulled his mouth free long enough to say, “Tali… if it means _that_ much to you, I will _stay_ on the _Normandy_ … just for _you_.  The Broker can get along fine without me.” 

Tali kissed him again, then replied, “She mustn’t be allowed to go alone, Garrus.  You’d be the perfect companion for her operation.  You have enough technical knowledge to help troubleshoot and repair problems Iringù-Eßizkur cannot, _and_ you’re a soldier.  Who knows what kind of trouble will find her in the Terminus Systems.  You must go with her.”  She planted another kiss, this time on his nose.  “Just remember when you’re out there battling bad guys, saving T’Soni’s blue ass for her yet again, that you…” [kiss] “… are…” [kiss] “… _my_ …” [kiss] “… turian.  Understand?”

“I… hmmmm… think I can remember those instructions, Miss ‘Zorah.  And as long as we’re discussing this, stay away from the _Normandy_ ’s pilot.  I have it on good authority he has an eye for beautiful young quarian women.”

Tali smirked as she let go of _her_ turian.  “I wouldn’t worry about that _too_ much, Garrus.  He has EDI, and don’t forget, _I_ have a shotgun.” 

* * *

  *** PRESIDIUM • EMBASSY LEVEL, COMMANDER BAILEY’S OFFICE ***

C-Sec Commander Armando-Owen Bailey was reviewing the data collected by his inspectors and _not_ liking what he saw.  The Blue Suns had _never_ been a problem on the Citadel, yet they were here now, if these reports were accurate.  The sound of the entry door sliding open intruded on his musings; he looked up to see Captain Bill Cody walking in.

“Captain.  Glad to see you… I have a few answers for you, although I’d bet you’re not going to be pleased.” 

Cody took a seat in one the chairs in front of Bailey’s desk.  “My XO is in the hospital with some serious injuries, so I’m already not pleased; _anything_ you have to tell me will simply add fuel to that fire.  What have you got?” 

“We sent inspectors in an aircar up to the roof of the ped-bridge… found evidence someone had hacked an access hatch to the roof from a utility compartment… setup a sniper nest with a clear view of the shattered window.  No way to identify the shooter, and no suspicious activity recorded on the surveillance video.” 

“What about the turians assaulting the medical facility,” Cody wanted to know.  “And how in hell did the Suns turn Doctor Michel to their side?”

“Unknown at this point.  We’re checking her financial history, looking into her background going back five years or more.  She must have been coerced into acting as she did.” 

Cody closed his eyes and pinched his temples between thumb and forefinger.  “What did she use to kill Private Hamilton?”

Bailey looked through the info on his data pad.  “Hmmmm… here it is.  She used a combo syringe/spray injector.  Oddest thing… there was no trace of anything in the chamber.  Autopsy couldn’t find any toxins in the young man’s system.  Trace on his neck agrees with the lab’s theory she injected an air bubble in his jugular, but that doesn’t explain how she dropped him so quickly.”  Bailey shook his head.  “Real shame.  Young man makes it through a war with the greatest enemy this galaxy has ever known, only to die at the hands of a doctor inside a hospital.” 

“A fact I’m sure will be of _no_ comfort at all to his family,” Cody replied.  “Keep digging, Bailey.  I talked to Private Abbott regarding the firefight, and I retrieved the recordings made by their hard suit computers.  Yuán ordered Michel’s death… told Abbott to kill her; he shot her in the chest – triple tap… bullets alone were fatal, but falling on the live flash bang she dropped really finished her off.” 

“But what made Yuán suspicious of her in the first place?” Bailey wanted to know.

Cody massaged the back of his neck as he replied, “Long as I’ve known her, she’s had a real talent for reading people, anticipating things.  Some of that can be attributed to her upbringing, her training before she enlisted.  She’s Chinese, Bailey.  Learned how to fight almost as soon as she could walk.  Her mother trained her… defensive exercises and moves for her first eight years or so.  Now?  It’s almost like she has a sixth sense.  You read the report on her attackers in the shuttle?  She had her back to them until an instant before they attacked, then killed both of them simultaneously.  Reflexes are almost supernatural.” 

“Didn’t help her much with that sniper,” Bailey observed.

“Consciously or not, she could sense something wasn’t right about that ped-bridge.  Miranda would have died if Yuán hadn’t put herself in the line of fire.  She had the shutters coming down when she put her back towards that glass.  I don’t think her chest plate would have stopped that first round, Bailey.”  Cody thought about what he had heard on the recordings.  “There was enough extra equipment on her backplate to just… _just_ … stop that slug; gave Lawson time to dive for the deck, gave Abbott time to get into the room.  She put herself in harm’s way to save Miranda Lawson.  I intend to see she gets a medal for that, soon as I can.”  Cody rose to leave.  Offering his hand, he said, “Keep digging, Commander.  Turn over enough rocks, slimy things are bound to scuttle for cover.” 

* * *

*** EMBASSY LEVEL, LOBBY ***

Captain Cody saw Private Vic standing by the Avina terminal outside the elevator.  Vic turned, saw Cody start down the stairs and started walking to meet him.  Vic glanced at the turian following Cody down the stairs and felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise; the turian, totally focused on Cody, paid Vic no attention.  For his part, Vic moved to his left as he undocked his pistol, touched the comlink in his ear and said, “Break right, Captain!”

Cody had no doubt whatsoever that Vic had spotted something.  As his foot left the bottom riser of the stairs, he made a dive for the floor to his right as the turian pulled a pistol and brought it up to fire.

The bullet from Vic’s gun caught him in the center of his chest plate, dropping his kinetic barrier just as the follow-up hit two centimeters to the right; this dropped him to the floor on top of a slowly spreading pool of blue.

Cody scrambled to the turian’s side as Vic came running up to stand guard over his captain.  Grabbing the top edge of the chest plate, Cody rolled his would be assassin over.  “Who sent you!?” he shouted.  Shaking the dying man violently, he repeated, “Who the hell sent you!?”

Vic, his comlink still open, said quietly, “Look at ‘is neck, Captain.”  Cody did so, and was not surprised to find a faded Blue Suns tattoo prominently displayed.  He also noticed there were no facial markings to denote a clan affiliation.

“Who sent you, you miserable barefaced bastard!?” Cody shouted again.  The turian managed to gasp as he coughed blood.  “Hmmm, _die_ , human…”

Bailey came rushing down the staircase with two of his guards; all had guns drawn as they surrounded Vic and Cody.

Cody looked up at Bailey and calmly said, “Commander, you just lost jurisdiction of security on this portion of the station.  Take their weapons, Corporal.” 

“Now just a goddamned minute, Captain.  On whose authority do you…”

As Corporal Vic took the guns from the two turians accompanying Bailey, Cody stood up and said, “On the authority of the Systems Alliance Navy, Commander.  At this point, there’s not a single turian…” he made a point of making eye contact with each of the turians accompanying Bailey, “…on this entire fucking _station_ I feel can be trusted with a sidearm!  As far as I’m concerned it’s open season on every armed turian still in a C-Sec uniform by the end of the day.  You don’t want the walls in this place painted blue, you better start disarming the bastards or transferring them into the wards.”   

Activating his omnitool, he sent a message to the captain of the _Orizaba_ and Admiral Hackett, outlining his actions and asking for a Marine detachment to take over security on the embassy wing, Huerta Memorial and the dock being used by the _Hong Kong_.  Reaching out a hand, he took the data pad Vic had brought, used his omnitool to code it for Miranda Lawson’s and Commander Yuán’s eyes only, gave it back to the corporal and said, “Head for Huerta, Corporal.  Fill the commander in on what just happened here so she doesn’t hear it from the wrong people.” 

He looked at Commander Bailey, leaning against the wall pinching his temples between thumb and fingers.  “Commander, head back up to your office.  You still need to finish your investigation.” 

Bailey looked at Cody as if he didn’t believe his ears.  “You just said…”

Cody interrupted with, “… _this_ portion of the station, Bailey… I said nothing about the wards, and if you want to regain control of security _here_ , perhaps you’d better find answers as to why the Suns seem hell bent on killing everyone associated with my frigate.”

* * *

*** HUERTA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL • SECURE PATIENT CARE ***

Corporal Vic stuck his head in the door and knocked on the frame.  “Uh, ladies?  Everyone dressed?  May I come in?”

Xiùlán replied, “Come in, Corporal.  We’ve been waiting for you.” 

“Yes, Ma’am.  I have the data pad Captain Cody promised,” he said as he walked over and handed Miranda the device.  “I also have some news… another Blue Suns attack, this time on the Captain.”  Seeing the alarmed look in Xiùlán’s eyes he hurriedly added, “He’s alright, Commander.  I saw the guy following Cap’n down the stairs from Bailey’s office; warned him on the comm, then shot him.  Don’t think he’ll be getting up.” 

“Good for you, Corporal!” Xiùlán said enthusiastically.  “Use your left hand to fire?”

“How’d you guess, Ma’am?”  Vic smiled as he continued, “Anyway, Cap’n relieved Bailey of responsibility for security on three levels here, ordered all the turians in C-Sec uniform disarmed or reassigned to the wards… declared open season on any turian still armed and in C-Sec colors by the end of the day.  Don’t think I’ve _ever_ seen him so pissed off!”

“So, what about security now?” Miranda wished to know.

“He’s having the _Orizaba_ supply a Marine detachment for the dock, embassy level and here at Huerta,” Vic answered.  “The Blue Suns really shit in their own mess kits this time.  They’ll have to use batarians or humans to do their dirty work in this area.  Batarians are easy to spot; humans will be a problem, like the three you encountered in the shuttle ride from the ship.” 

Miranda said softly, as if to herself, “Zaeed Massani…”

“What was that, Ma’am?”

“Sorry, just thinking out loud,” Miranda said.  “Commander Shepard recruited Massani to help her take down the Collectors.  Man’s absolutely ruthless… been on the hunt for Vido Santiago for over twenty years.  Her decision to save the refinery workers on Zorya lead to Santiago’s escape from Massani’s revenge.” 

Lawson thought back to that time…felt so _long_ ago!  “Shepard actually punched him in the face for starting the fire in the refinery… he wanted to kill her for choosing to save the workers, but decided to put that aside for the mission.”  Miranda chuckled.  “ _Never_ saw her back down from _anybody_ , even the Illusive Man.  Massani was on Earth same time as I was… _may_ even still be there.  I’d bet he’d _still_ like to kill Vido Santiago… could be a helpful ally, _if_ he can be found.” 

Xiùlán asked, “Corporal, any marines guarding the airlock leading to the _Hong Kong_?”

“Six from the ship, rotating shifts.  Nobody gets on without proper ID.” 

“Good.  Head on back to the ship, then.  Ask the Captain to mention Massani’s name when he contacts the _Normandy_.  Stay alert!”

“Aye Ma’am.  It’ll be good to have you back on the ship.”   Vic looked at Miranda and said, “Ma’am,” then turned and left.

* * *

*** NORMANDY DECK TWO • WAR ROOM and QEC COMPARTMENT ***

Alenko had been contacted by the captain of the _Hong Kong_ , docked at the Citadel.  “Please standby, Captain.  I need to get Traynor, T’Soni and Vakarian in here, bring them up to speed.”  Alenko activated his omnitool and requested the three to join him, sending a copy to the Marine privates guarding the passageway outside as he did so.

 _“I needed to talk to Traynor about a personal issue.  May as well tell everyone about the other events of the past few days,”_ Cody said.

“You said personal, Captain?  Anything I need to be aware of ahead of time?”

 _“Actually, I intend to give your specialist a bad time, Major,”_ Cody said with a devilish grin.  _“See how she likes a joke.”_  

“If it concerns Yuán Xiùlán, do me a personal favor, Captain?  Don’t push her _too_ far.” 

Garrus and Liara T’Soni walked into the compartment to stand on either side of Alenko.

Cody greeted the pair as they appeared in his own QEC display.  _“Vakarian?  Doctor T’Soni?  Good to see both of you.”_

Garrus greeted the captain with, “Captain Cody.  Specialist Traynor will join us shortly.  What can we do for you?”

Cody spent the next fifteen minutes giving them the rundown of everything since their arrival at the Citadel, from the kidnapping attempt foiled by Commander Yuán to her being nearly killed by a sniper in Huerta Memorial to the just hours ago attempt on his own life. 

“That’s pretty incredible, Captain.  Assassination attempt in the embassy lobby,” Garrus said in amazement.  “So, how fast are the turian C-Sec people leaving the area?”

 _“Don’t know, Vakarian.  I do know they’d better be disarmed or gone from the three levels by midnight, or Alliance Marines will start killing them,”_ Cody replied.

“But surely the council won’t allow…” Garrus started to say.

Cody interrupted with, _“…Council can go to hell, Vakarian.  The Alliance has taken over security of the three levels, particularly the embassy level.  The council is powerless, a total waste of time.  The asari homeworld is in flames, same as ours… sorry, Doctor T’Soni.  Salarians are a bunch of back-stabbing cowards; the turian councilor can kiss my ass if he thinks for one second I’ll back down from reestablishing real security on the Presidium.”_  

Specialist Traynor walked into the compartment just in time to hear Cody declare, _“They very nearly killed my XO, goddammit!  I mean to see every last one of the bastards in irons or dead.  We’re going to bring the full weight of the Alliance military down on their heads.”_  

Traynor couldn’t contain her anxiety.  “Sir, is Commander Yuán… will she be okay?  What happened to her?”

 _“Shot in the back by a sniper, Specialist,”_ Cody replied, _“from 492 meters, through a curved polycarbonate window in the room with Miranda Lawson, whom we believe was the actual target.  Impact slammed her head first into the opposite wall, gave her a concussion.  I just talked to her a short time ago… she’s in a secure patient room with Miss Lawson.”_  

Alenko gently placed a hand on Samantha’s shoulder as she asked, “Is there any way I can speak with her, Sir?”

 _“I expect it’d be easier for you to contact her through the extranet, Specialist,”_ Cody replied with a sympathetic smile.  _“She can’t be moved for several more days, and she’ll be on restricted duty once she’s back on her feet.  I’ll tell her to expect to hear from you.”_  

“Thank you, Sir.” 

Garrus said, “You’re going to get some real blowback if you take on the council, Captain.  The turians have a long memory, asari even longer, especially after both races just helped save _your_ planet from becoming a smoking crater.” 

 _“Not worried about any of them at this point, Vakarian.  The turians I’ve seen in the past two days were all murdering cowards, hiding in C-Sec uniforms right in plain sight.  Didn’t even bother to remove their tattoos.  If they are working for the Suns, I don’t give a damn who they are, Garrus.  Humans?  Batarians?  They’re all going to die, if I have to spend the rest of my life and chase them across the galaxy to do it.”_  

Garrus changed the subject.  “Hard to believe Chloe Michel was in so deep with the Suns she’d resort to murder.  Just seems so… hmmmm, I don’t know, against type for her.  The Suns must have really had her back against a wall!  I believe she had a brother on the Citadel… perhaps they used him to get to her… kidnapped him, threatened him?”

 _“Makes sense, I suppose,”_ Cody replied.  “ _Gives us a reason for her behavior if that’s the case.  I’ll tell Bailey to start looking at that angle, although with Chloe dead, her brother may have already been killed.  We’ll look into it anyway.  I also have Bailey checking into her background, all the way back to her clinic in the wards.  Perhaps the Shadow Broker can find some evidence.  Might get lucky.”_  Cody paused, placing a finger on his ear to listen to his comlink before continuing.  _“Oh, and perhaps the broker can find the location of Zaeed Massani.  Founded the Suns with Vido Santiago; Vido screwed him over, which somehow does not surprise me.  Understand Massani was on Earth.  Has had a major hard-on for Santiago for over twenty years._

Alenko said, “We’ll send the messages along.  Thanks for the update Captain.  Good luck on the Citadel.” 

_“Just one thing… Specialist Traynor, is there anything you can tell me, anything at all, that would allow me to pay Xiùlán back for scaring ten years off my life.”_

“What…?  I don’t understand, Sir.” 

 _“She appeared to wake up able to speak only Mandarin, Specialist.  Pretended not to know who I was.  I was afraid the concussion she suffered had injured her worse than originally thought.”_    Cody smiled as he continued, _“She was totally pulling my leg.  Even Miranda Lawson was laughing.  I need to find a way to pay her back somehow.  You know her better than anyone else.  Any ideas?”_

Samantha smiled.  “If I think of something, you’ll be the first to know, Sir.”

* * *

 _ **A/N:** I wrote the section concerning Tali confronting Garrus while listening to_ ‘Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis’, _composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams in 1910; fifteen minutes of some of the most incredibly lush string music ever created.  Give it a listen while reading about Tali and Garrus declaring their love for each other, particularly at the ten to eleven minute mark, and the little solo passage near the end at 14:45 or so.  If you possess a soul, you cannot remain unmoved by this piece of music!_


	37. Zaeed Massani: The Search Begins

_In the future, there will be no female leaders.  There will just be leaders_ – Sheryl Sandberg, _Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead_

* * *

*** HUERTA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL • SECURE PATIENT CARE ***

Staff Commander Yuán Xiùlán had been sleeping, _actually_ sleeping… no nightmares… when the soft trill of her omnitool roused her.  Bringing her arm to face level, she used her chin to bump the bio-sensitive, red banded onyx cabochon on the platinum bracelet to open the incoming text message.  Samantha.  Of course… Captain Cody would have informed Sam about the attack by an as yet unknown sharpshooter.  She sighed as she read ‘between the lines’ of the message, detecting the concern for her safety… her well-being.

Looking to the bed next to her, she experienced a moment of anxiousness upon noticing Miranda Lawson was not in the room, until remembering the former Cerberus operative was scheduled for surgery to repair her damaged cheek bones and remove her damaged left eye.  The anxiousness was instantly replaced by an almost overwhelming sense of guilt for not being able to find her before she had been abused and beaten almost to death by members of the Blue Suns.  She told herself there was nothing she could have done, but gāisǐ!… [该死 _– damn!]_ telling herself ‘ _nothing could have been done_ ’ did nothing to ease the pain, the horror she felt for Miranda’s experience.

Lawson was the reason Xiùlán was lying in this bed with an intensely painful back injury.  Corporal Vic had shown her the remnants of her armor – the ceramic hard-shell had been shattered, shield generator destroyed.  The weapons docks, despite being damaged, were the only things holding the entire assembly together.  That armor had seen her through a lot of missions, including Cartagena Station… she doubted she’d ever be able to afford a replacement of that quality, nor would she be able to easily replace her heavy armored over-shirt or the cross-knit undershirt Doctor Phelps had cut off her.  _‘Shénme cǎn tā mā de dǎoméi!’_ [什麼慘他媽的倒霉！- What miserable bad luck!]

Xiùlán smiled grimly, thinking back to her first live-fire training on Luna when Joesiar, a bigoted, misogynistic little jù mó [巨魔 - _troll]_ had shot her in the chest plate with a low impact round.  The resulting bruise from _that_ hit had been a real beauty.  Doctor Phelps had used his omnitool to project an image of her bare back on a monitor; the bruise _there_ extended from the base of her neck almost to her ass and completely across her shoulder blades to both armpits, providing a colorful background for her dragon tattoo.  Had Joesiar been behind the scope and trigger of the sniper rifle?  Xiùlán had been the driving force (along with Samantha Traynor) behind getting him kicked out of the special training school; it now appeared he may have gone straight into the arms of the Blue Suns.  The investigation by C-Sec was progressing, even if the transfer of all the security organization’s turian members away from the embassy level, this wing of Huerta Memorial and the Hong Kong’s docking facility was hampering things a bit.

Xiùlán struggled to sit up, something Phelps had _not_ encouraged her to do… well, he hadn’t prohibited her from doing so, either.  The monitor for her bed could be heard sounding an alarm in the lobby, which meant she had about twenty seconds before an attendant arrived to check on things.  With a groan she swung her bare legs over the edge of the bed and braced herself upright with an arm painfully behind her at an angle. _‘Mā de! Tā shānghàile dìyù!’_ [媽的！它疼死！ _-_ Oh shit!  It hurts (like) hell!]  Right on cue, the door opened to admit not one but _two_ attendants, both male, both massively muscled. _‘Mā de!’_

“Commander, please, let us help.  Where are you going?”  the nearest of the pair inquired.

 _‘Going?  I’m not going anywhere… just want to sit up.  Báichī!’ [_ _白痴_ _– Moron!]_ Need to sit up for a bit is all.”  Xiùlán said softly, trying her best to keep the pain from creeping into her voice.  “Can you find a chair for me to use?”

“First things first, Commander.  Where’s your robe?”

“Wasn’t aware I had one, Mister… ?”

“Name’s Vinson… Emil Vinson, Ma’am.  My mostly silent companion here is O’Brian.”  Vinson looked around a bit, spotting her robe hanging beside the entry door.  Retrieving it, he held it open and reached around behind her to assist.  “Let’s get your back covered so we don’t have to look at your bare butt.”

“Are you serious?  I’ve never heard of any male gendered person that wouldn’t take an opportunity to ogle a nicely shaped female tush, especially a bare one,” she snarked.

“Maybe inside Purgatory, Ma’am,” Vinson replied seriously.  “Not in here.  Come on… ”

She carefully eased her arms one at a time through the sleeves as Vinson and O’Brian steadied her with hands on the front of her shoulders.    

“Okay, let us help you down.”  The pair took positions on either side of her; Vinson gently placed an arm around her at waist level from the left and said, “Place your arm across my shoulders, Ma’am.”  She did as she was instructed… the pain lessened as soon as her back had a bit of additional support.  O’Brian had an arm around her back above Vinson’s.

They each placed their other arms under her thighs as she thought, _‘haven’t had this kind of attention since right after_ _Cartagena Station’ —_  one near her knees, the other just below her butt; O’Brian finally spoke, “Okay Ma’am, we’re going to lift you off the bed.  We’ll help you straighten your legs so you can stand on the floor.  We’re not going to let go of you until you have all your weight on your feet.  Ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

They lifted together, being mindful of the tube attached to the back of her hand and the tube draining her bladder.  The arm behind her knees slowly lowered, allowing her legs to straighten until her feet touched the floor; they released her legs as her weight was gradually transferred to her feet.  She kept her arms across their shoulders as they straightened up beside her, carefully monitoring her progress.  “Looks like you’re doing fine, Commander.  See if you can pull your arms off our shoulders… we’ll steady you.”

Xiùlán hadn’t realized how weak she was after three days in a hospital bed.  _‘Gāisǐ de!  Wǒ dé ràng wǒ de lìliàng huíláile!’_ [該死的！我得讓我的力量回來了！– Damn it!  I have to get my strength back!] “Okay guys, just hold my back.”  She retrieved her arms one at a time until she was standing beside her bed with the two men applying slight pressure to her back from either side.  The brace Doctor Phelps had strapped on was alleviating most of the stress, but she knew she needed to start flexing muscles in order to get back to a hundred per cent.  “Let me see if I can still walk, okay?”

O’Brian released her and grabbed the two vinyl bags to which her tubes were hooked; Vinson lifted his hand and arm from her back but remained ready to catch her if needed.  Xiùlán carefully moved her feet; taking small steps, she made her way to the far wall near the room’s entrance, where a chair and a desk were placed.  She placed one hand on the table to brace her body as she used her other hand and arm to pull the chair out.  Her shoulder muscles screamed at her, but she refused to give any indication of the amount of pain she was in.  When the chair was where she wanted it, she turned her back to the seat, slowly bent her knees until she could grab the armrests, then carefully lowered herself into the chair, feeling gratitude for Vinson as he held her robe and hospital gown next to her butt and thighs so the cloth didn’t bunch uncomfortably underneath her.  “Xièxiè… mmm, thanks,” she murmured.  “Can I have some socks and a blanket?”

After hanging the vinyl bags on a stand attached to the chair, O’Brian brought her a pair of boot socks, kneeled down and put them on her feet before bringing a medium size quilt and placing it around her shoulders.  Vinson must have understood the security situation… he quietly retrieved her M-11 Suppressor and spare heat sink from her bed, brought them over and laid them on the desk in front of her.

She looked up at them and asked, “You guys military?”

“Mustered out,” Vinson replied.  “Marines… medics.  Thought we could do more good here in the hospital than anywhere else now the war’s over.  We heard what you did in Vancouver, Ma’am, and then on the shuttle trip here from your ship?”  He paused for a moment, then offered his hand.  “You’d make a damned fine Marine, Ma’am.  It’s a privilege to meet a naval officer unafraid to get her hands dirty.  You really tell the C-Sec turians to ‘go pound sand’?”

Xiùlán looked closely at him as she took his hand and replied, “Xièxiè… ah, thank you.  That’s high praise indeed.  As for the turians… I had to get Lawson into hospital.  Didn’t have time to pull the sticks outa their asses to beat ’em over their heads.”  Her expression turned sad as she said, “One of my guys got killed before the Blue Suns turians tried to take us… ” she looked down, “… my fault.  Didn’t see it coming… didn’t anticipate… ”

Vinson placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.  “Nothing you could have done.  Way I hear it, you helped keep the people in the room with you safe.  You did your duty.”  He gave her shoulder the slightest squeeze before releasing her and said, “We’ll check back in thirty, Commander.”  He turned, nodded to O’Brian and they both left.

Xiùlán activated the terminal and sent a message to Asharru; she did not need to wait long for an answer.

› _Yuán Xiùlán-Staff Commander.   It is good to communicate with you again.  How may I assist you?_‹

›Asharru, is it possible for you to contact Specialist Samantha Traynor aboard the _Normand_ _y?_   The ship is being carried by Žiuk’Durmah, and should be nearing the Apien Crest.  She may be inside Iringù-Eßizkur.  I need to talk to her.‹

› _It will be done, Yuán-Commander,_ Asharru replied.  _Please stand b y…_‹

* * *

 *** AT THE CITADEL, WIDOW SYSTEM *  
** *** SSV ORIZABA, ADMIRAL HACKETT’S OFFICE ***

Fleet Admiral Steven Hackett applied his electronic signature to the statement on the datapad and entered the single ‘page’ proclamation into the records for the Systems Alliance Parliament.  He did not know when a new Parliament would be elected, or when, or even _where_ they would meet next, as most of the major cities on Earth, despite herculean rebuilding efforts by survivors and former enemy machines, still consisted of mostly charred rubble; the previous council had all died when the Reapers cut through Arcturus Station on their way to Earth.  The record _he_ had just created would state the following:

 

> _On Wednesday, the 19th day of September 2187, I, Steven Hackett, Fleet Admiral and acting Systems Alliance Commander-in-Chief, for the reasons stated below do hereby present this commendation and Medal of Valor to Staff Commander Yuán Xiùlán, Service number 8257-PVG-09186, currently Executive Officer assigned to the SSV Hong Kong II:_
> 
> **A** ] _Yuán’s valiant and selfless actions in leading a team on a clandestine rescue mission for former Cerberus operative Miranda Lawson from Blue Suns captivity on Earth, Sol System;_
> 
> **B** ] _Further: Yuán’s actions in preventing Blue Suns operatives from kidnapping, with intent to murder, Miss Lawson during transit by shuttle from the Hong Kong II to Huerta Memorial Hospital, Citadel, Widow System;_
> 
> **C** ] _Further_ : Yuán’s actions in preventing the assassination of Miss Lawson in Huerta Memorial Hospital by a suspected Blue Suns’ sniper, said actions resulting in severe injuries sustained from the assassin’s first shot;
> 
> **D** ] _Further: even with a grievous injury to her back and suffering from a concussion, Staff Commander Yuán continued to provide leadership in a successful effort to prevent Blue Suns operatives in C-Sec uniform armor from entering the room with the intent of kidnapping and/or murdering Miss Lawson._
> 
> _Therefore, for the reasons stated above, I place my signature and seal on this commendation and award for Staff Commander Yuán Xiùlán._
> 
> _Signed: Steven Hackett, Fleet Admiral, Systems Alliance Navy_

Hackett forwarded a copy to _Hong Kong_ Captain Bill Cody, along with a message asking him to present the medal and a copy of his commendation to his ship’s XO as soon as possible.  _‘Least we can do for her after all she’s been through,’_   he thought.

He had a non-redacted copy of Yuán's service record, along with a copy of Chief Warrant Officer Samantha Traynor’s record.  After reading through the sections outlining their missions in the Nemean Abyss, he felt he understood the depth of mistrust Traynor had developed for Alliance brass, including (much as it pained him to admit it) himself.  Yuán held a more tolerant view, perhaps because of her upbringing… Earth born and raised versus Colony kid from Horizon.

Hackett sighed.  Traynor’s conclusions regarding the Alliance had some validity, including her opinions (of which he would pretend not to be aware) on the _‘use ‘em up-throw ‘em away’_ philosophy of some (thankfully no longer in positions of influence) members of the ruling council and military command.  Rising from his chair, he left his office for the executive observation lounge.  He needed a break, needed to clear his head.  Sometimes staring off into space for a bit was a good thing…

* * *

*** SSV NORMANDY DECK TWO • WAR ROOM ***

Specialist Samantha Traynor had been summoned to the War Room by Major Alenko; he had personally escorted her into the war room, pointed her in the direction of the central display, than quietly left.

Sam activated the console at the railing and waited as Žiuk’Durmah initiated a response to Asharru’s request from the Widow System.  This would be audio only… the sender did not have a vid-terminal to generate an outgoing or incoming image.  Within a matter of seconds, Sam heard a familiar voice say her name.

 _“Sà mǐ?  Nǐ zài nàlǐ?_ [薩米? 你在哪裡?- Sami?  Where are you?]

“Xiùlán!  I was so worried.  How’re you doing?” 

 _"Sore as hell, damn it!  Doctor has my back braced… can’t exercise.  It’s all I can do to sit up from a prone position without assistance.”_ Xiùlán’s chuckle was instantly followed by a groan.  _“Mā de!  Even hurts to laugh!  At least I have a drain tube inserted… don’t think I can perform anything involving a toilet without some help, especially afterwards.”_

“Must be miserable.”

 _“Tell me about it.  Remember the bruise on my chest from live fire, right after we met?”_ Xiùlán groaned again as she suppressed a giggle thinking about that time.  _“You could barely take your eyes off my tits when I showed it to you in the showers.”_

Traynor’s attempt at a protest was met with another groan.  _“Dammit, Sammy, don’t make me laugh!  I have eyes too, and I can generally see when yours are not looking at mine.  Anyway, bruise on my back?  If that miserable little bastard was behind the scope on this one, he probably laughed himself sick.  My entire back is black’n’blue, Sēn měi… neck to butt, armpit-to-armpit.  Face is bruised from slamming into the bulkhead.  Don’t think I’ve ever looked so beat-up.”_

Sam giggled at the mental picture painted by her lover.  “I understand Captain Cody is a little put out regarding your language prank,” Traynor said.  “He asked me to provide some info that would allow him to properly repay you for scaring hell out of him.  Don’t suppose _you_ have any suggestions.”

 _“He’ll get over it soon enough, wǒ de bǎobèi,”_   [我的寶貝 – my darling] Xiùlán replied.  _“He’s been busy researching everything he can find on the Blue Suns, including_ your _commander’s mission reports from before the invasion.  Do you know if the Shadow Broker has found anything on the whereabouts of Zaeed Massani?”_

“We’ve been told Hackett had the Alliance ships still in Arcturus use the relay to go to Earth.  Everyone’s looking for Massani… most of their search efforts are centered around London, but it’s a huge area to search, and unless he’s sending up flares or actively doing something to be found, it will probably take a while,” pausing, Samantha added, “not unlike the amount of time it took to find Miranda Lawson… how’s she doing, by the way?”

_“Getting better… healing.  She’s in surgery right now, getting her cheek bone and eye socket repaired.  They’re taking out her left eye… too damaged to save.  She’ll have a combo artificial/organic replacement in five or six weeks.  Nanites in her blood are doing a good job of healing her internal injuries.”_

“Good to hear,” Sam said.  “How long _you_ going to be down?”

 _“Few more days.  Doc Phelps says he’ll peel the back brace off a few hours at a time so I can start stretching exercises.  Can’t come too soon, Sēn měi.”_ Xiùlán continued, _“I’m starting to go a bit crazy without a ship to keep running.  Bet I’ll have to retrain all the command staff once I’m back on board.”_

“I expect the _HK2_ is running just fine without you.  They’re docked, correct?  How much trouble can they get into?”  Sam paused a few moments.  “I have to get going, Luv.  Can’t tell you how good it is to hear your voice.  Normandy should arrive in the turian system in less than a month.  I don’t know what they’ll do with the ship once we’re back.  If I wind up ashore without a ride when we get to Palavan, I’ll give you a call.”

 _“Give me a call regardless, míngbái wǒ?_ [明白我？– understand me?]   _If I have to, I’ll send a shuttle to pick you up, Hǎo de? ”_ [好的？– okay?]

“You really have that kind of pull these days?”  Sam asked.

 _“Listen to me, Samantha.  Admiral’s promised me the Hong Kong as soon as there’s a better or newer warship available for Cody to take over.  I’m going to need an XO; I’ll probably promote Lieutenant Cross out of the CIC, which will leave a hole in the operations and communications position there.”_ Xiùlán paused for several seconds before continuing.  _“I’m going to need someone I can trust in that position, Sammy…  someone that has a flair for analysis and communication.  If I can find the right person, perhaps an operations specialist?  It’d mean a promotion and a transfer to the Hong Kong II.  Think about it, okay?”_

Traynor was almost speechless.  “The two of us… on the same ship?  Sound’s like a dream position, but… ”

_“Nothing is set in stone, Sammy.  All I said was think about it.  When the time comes, it will be your choice, but I want you to know I won’t love you any less if you say ‘no’… does that sound fair?”_

“More than fair, Luv, more than fair,” Traynor replied.  “Gotta go. “Méiyǒu nǐ de ài wǒ de shēnghuó shì bù wánzhěng de, Xiùlán!” [沒有你的愛我的生活是不完整的 - Without your love my life is not complete!].  Get well!”

 _“Nǐ de ài shǐ wǒ de shēnghuó wánzhěngle!  Wǒ ài nǐ,”_   [你的愛使我的生活完整了!  我愛你, – Your love makes my life complete!  I love you,]Xiùlán responded, then cut the connection.

Traynor stood at the railing in the Normandy’s QEC compartment for several minutes, savoring the last few words Xiùlán had said, replaying them in her mind.  _‘_ _I love you.’_ She sighed as she turned and headed back to the CIC.

* * *

*** HUERTA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL • SECURE PATIENT CARE ***

Commander Yuán sent a short text message to Asharru, thanking him for serving as a comms relay for her conversation with Traynor.  Thinking about her offer to Traynor, she wondered if she was being selfish.  She knew she couldn’t bring in an outsider for the XO position on the HK2… Lieutenant Cross would be a perfect fit for the position; she felt Sam would be an excellent replacement for Cross in the CIC, given all her training as an operations specialist _and_ an intelligence specialist.  That she had spent the past five or six weeks working with Liara T’Soni was _not_ widely known; the knowledge gained while working as the Shadow Broker’s assistant would be a real plus for the _Hong Kong_. 

The sound of the door segments sliding open intruded on her thoughts; without looking she instinctively had her M-11 up and aimed at the noise.

“Commander?  It’s been thirty minutes… just checking in.”

With an embarrassed sigh of relief, Xiùlán lowered the pistol and placed it back on the table.  “Dammit, Vinson.  You need to knock or ring the bell or something.”

“Apologies, Commander.  Didn’t realize you were still in combat mode.”  He grinned at her.  “Damned fast with that gun.”

“Sorry.  Still a bit on edge.”  She looked up at Vinson as her came over to stand beside her.  “Do you suppose you can take me for a walk through the halls.  I have to get my strength back if I’m to leave here.”

Sure, Commander.  Let me find a stand for your bags… maybe find a chair with wheels.  We’ll take a few steps around outside.”

“Do you know… is Miranda still in surgery?”

“We can find out at the nurse’s station.  I’ll be right back.”  Vinson smiled and left.

* * *

*** EARTH • GREAT BRITAIN, CITY of LONDON ***

Zaeed Massani had been called many things in his twenty plus years as an independent mercenary; the one description, a one-word appellation that was universally applied by _any_ one that knew him, hired or did business with him, or (rarely these days) crossed him, was ‘ _survivor’_.  Massani’s survival of Vido Santiago’s attempt to murder him in 2165 had been nothing short of miraculous… few were those that survived a point blank gunshot to the head; fewer still were those that completely recovered and restarted their careers by hijacking a turian war frigate and insuring its destruction by sending it on a collision course with the turian planet Impera (where a turian defense station blew the ship to hell _before_ it could crash), _and_ surviving to collect the bounty.

There had been many jobs after that one, but none had been as spectacularly successful for him.  That Zaeed had survived the Reaper ground war on Earth was simply routine as far as he was concerned.

Since Commander Shepard’s implementation of the final solution to put an end to the Reaper war, Massani had been making a bit of a living taking on odd jobs… occasional contracts ordered by the very few human business people left in the London area.  Most of the city remained so much broken rubble, despite ongoing reconstruction efforts; bits of commerce were being done down along the river, where people piloting small boats could for the most part come and go as they pleased.

Zaeed had maintained ties with a few of his prewar contacts while managing to avoid the attention of the Alliance military, but he was starting to get restless.  He had learned the Reapers were repairing the relays… they had just completed repairs to the Charon relay, allowing a number of Alliance Naval vessels to arrive from Arcturus.  He felt he needed to get off-world, see what was left of civilization outside the Sol system; the number of military vessels, along with the Reapers still in system would make it difficult (and expensive) to leave in a private spacecraft, even a broken down old shuttle.  With the galactic communications network destroyed… without com buoys… there had been no reliable news concerning the other races.  He caught snippets of supposition, bits of rumors, but never anything he believed to be solid facts… until today.

There were many mercs still in the country… of those, more than a few had indirect ties to the Blue Suns.  Zaeed received word that an old _friend_ , Malachi Creighton, wanted to meet him in a partially rebuilt pub on the A259, just down the coast from Folkestone.  Zaeed knew of the place but had never been there.

Massani’s ability to survive was not a product of chance or dumb luck.  He always planned meticulously, and always figured that _any_ plan would go straight in the shitter with no warning.  He studied the outside of the building cautiously, checking sightlines and possible routes for a hasty retreat.  Nothing to the south but the open water of the North Sea.  Didn’t appear the Reapers had done much damage here.  _‘Guess the metal bastards were too busy frying the big cities’_ , he thought as he cautiously entered the building.

As his left eye adjusted to the dim interior light, he glanced around, looking for Creighton.  Corner table, back to the wall, nursing a pint.  Zaeed didn’t see anyone else at the bar or sitting at a table that looked out of place, so he slowly sauntered over to Creighton’s table, moved a chair and sat down beside him so he wouldn’t have his own back to the room.  Zaeed got right to the point.  “So, what tha ‘ell is so goddamn important I needed ter come all this way from London?”

Malachi took a sip of his ale, nervously wiped his lips on the already dirty sleeve of his sweater and answered in a shaky voice, “The ‘lliance’s lookin fer you, Massani…  yeah, lookin _fer you!_ Lots o’ships, lots o’flyboys, lots o’Marines.  ‘ell, they even got them bloody effen machines workin’ fer ‘em, doin’ tha search.”  Another sip from the glass, sleeve wiping lips, then, “Offering creds, lots of creds, for info.  They wants you ‘live, they does.  No interest in Zaeed dead, no.  Needs you _alive_.”

Zaeed reached around, grabbed the front of Malachi’s sweater and shook him once.  “Why?  The Alliance don’t waste goddamn resources searching for the likes of me unless they’re bloody desperate.  What’s their angle, Creighton?  What in ‘ell ain’t you tellin’ me?”

“Don’ know, Zaeed, don’ know… can’t say fer certain like.  ‘eard a rumor, jus’ a rumor, mind ya, Suns ‘ad a former Cerberus bitch… operative… in their custody, near old ‘liance HQ in Vancouver.  ‘liance marines came in, used a big damned machine, killed every last effen Sun in the place, busted ‘er out.  Four-eyed mercs were most of dead.  Nex’ day, place crawlin’ wit’ marines.  Suns not ‘appy, not ‘appy ‘tall.”  Another sip of ale.

Zaeed released him and said, “Still don’t explain why they’re looking for me.  Keep talkin’.”

Creighton looked into his pint glass, then back at Zaeed.  “Throat’s a tad dry, Zaeed.  Could use a bit more ale,” he whined.

Massani took two credits from a side pocket and laid them on the table.  Keeping his fingers firmly on each of them, he said, “ _Keep talkin’_.

Malachi drained his glass, scrubbed his mouth with the back of his hand and said, “Suns tried gettin’ bitch back ‘tween ship ’n’ ‘ospital at Citadel… three more dead, all human.  Tried again _in_ ‘ospital… officer sent wit’ Cerberus bitch?  Took a sniper shot in ‘er back, then _six_ more dead tryen ta get in tha room, plus doctor they ‘ad workin’ fer ‘em.  Even tried killin’ ship’s captain in the embassy wing.  Another Sun dead.  Thing is, is this… all _them_ people ‘cept doctor an’ shuttle crew… turians… turians in C-sec armor.”  Malachi looked imploringly at the credits Zaeed was holding on the table.

Massani took Creighton’s empty glass, lifted and wiggled it over his head until he caught the attention of the barmaid, then set the glass back on the table.

“Haven’t ‘eard why _any_ of this is _my_ goddamn problem, Malachi, or why the fuckin’ Alliance is trying ter find me.  That all ya got, or is there more to this wonderful tale?”

“Cap’n they tried to kill?  Declared war on the Blue Suns, Zaeed.  Man ‘as the ear of an admiral.  This cap’n?  He’s going after Vido and Solem Dal’serah, means ta see both o’them dead, _and_ he ‘as the backin’ of the ‘liance military!  Word is, he ain’t gonna quit until he ‘as both dere ‘eads… both of ‘em… on pikes outside ‘liance HQ.  He wants the entire effen company _destroyed_ , Zaeed.”

Zaeed looked up as the barmaid brought two pints and set them on the table.  He gave her the credits and slid the glass in front of him over to Malachi.  “Knock yerself out, Creighton.”  Massani slapped him on the back.  “Thanks for the info.  You never saw me here, did you?

Malachi nearly choked on the ale he was swallowing; coughing, he answered, “Never did.  What was yer name again?  Memory’s a tad fuzzy these days.”

 _‘Yeah, right’,_ he thought.  _‘Fuzzy’ until someone fills your pint glass again.’_ “Malachi, it’d be a good idea for you to lay low for a while.  The Suns ain’t very forgiving… I should know.  Be seein’ ya around.”  Zaeed got up and casually, unhurriedly walked out of the little pub.

Pausing outside the door to light a cigarette, he took a deep drag, blew the smoke out slowly as he looked across the road to the North Sea, then gazed up to the sky, thinking about everything Creighton had said.  More of interest to Zaeed was what had been left _unsaid_.  The woman… this ex-Cerberus operative… only name he could think of would be the cause of so bloody much trouble was Lawson… Miranda Lawson.  She had _always_ been more trouble than she was worth when Zaeed helped Shepard take down the Collectors.  What the ‘ell could the Suns need Lawson for, or the Alliance, for that matter?

The Alliance, or at least this one angry captain, needed Zaeed to help them hunt down Vido Santiago and Solem Dal’serah, a hunt in which he would be only too glad to participate… hell, he’d even be first in line to separate Vido’s head from his body!  But to destroy the Suns, totally wipe them out of the galaxy?  That would take a bit of doing, and he didn’t think the Alliance had the bollocks to see the job through, nor did he think his inclusion in such an endeavor would be worth the trouble.  Taking another drag on his smoke, he looked up and down the road in front of him.  Traffic was virtually non-existent; likewise parked cars, on wheels – quite rare, or floating – scarce since the war.  Seeing nothing noteworthy in either direction, he walked across the road to his rented aircar, climbed in, punched in destination coordinates and sat back to enjoy the ride back to London.


	38. Regaining That Which Was Lost

_I ask for trust.  It is a lot, I know; it isn't easy to give.  But it is all I ask_.  - Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, _Hawksong_

* * *

*** NORMANDY • DECK ONE, THE LOFT ***

Rachaél Shepard’s image coalesced inside the segmented door of her ‘former’ quarters on Deck One.  She glanced at her hamster, then shifted her gaze left to study the aquatic denizens of her twin aquariums… the Illium Skald fish and Thessian Sunfish; the Koi from her own planet and the Striped Dartfish from Kahje, reminding her of the quiet calm and unwavering trust of a Drell assassin who fought beside her for a noble cause.  EDI had started taking care of her hamster, along with the rest of the compartment, since her own ‘death’ on the Citadel.  The aquarium VI she had purchased took care of her fish after Kelly Chambers had returned them… no more coming in bone tired from fighting husks and other Reaper spawn, only to find the entire aquatic population floating belly up in the tanks, dead from lack of regular feeding.

EDI… the hybrid bio/mechanical woman… had done so much for her since Rachaél found herself trapped in the Normandy’s computer core; she knew she’d have gone insane without EDI’s love and support.  She’d even discovered a way for Rachaél to make love to Liara – her promised love of her life – by allowing Liara to perform a meld with her.  The resulting _ménage à trois_ had been awkward for EDI the first time; thanks to some research by Samantha Traynor and some rewiring by Tali’Zorah, EDI’s experiences each time after had been every bit as satisfying for her as for Rachaél and Liara.

Rachaél stepped past her model display cases down into the lounge and sleeping area.  She looked briefly at the chess board with its elaborate pieces, a gift from Aria T’Loak for Rachaél’s assistance in retaking Omega from Cerberus General Oleg Petrovsky.  Her original dog tags, retrieved and framed by Liara, and her N7 breather helmet, recovered from the _Normandy SR1’s_ crash site on Alchera, had both gone missing during the retrofit performed by the Alliance, something that saddened her for reasons she neither knew nor understood.

With a thought, she filled the compartment with low volume piano and string music…  it reminded her of their escape from Earth when the Reapers struck…  of a little boy, all alone on the docks, clambering aboard a UT-47A shuttle.  Their eyes had met for a moment before the shuttle’s hatch closed.  She watched helplessly as it was sliced apart mid-air by a Destroyer, not unlike the one currently parked in front of the Normandy.  So damned much destruction, death, so much history… so many memories… of sadness… joy… grief… pain… in such a short passage of time.  Time… it was time for her to do what she had come here to do.  She needed to have a chat… a private discussion… with a Reaper… Repository… Guardian.  It was time.

**“Žiuk’Durmah.  We need to talk.  Please respond to this area only…  just you, and me.”**

The reply took a number of seconds, as if the giant construct was making sure its response targeted only one small area within the ship.  **_Shepard-Normandy._** The voice was quiet, very calm.  **_We have not talked in many days.  What may I do for you?_**

 **“I have not been completely honest with you, with Iringù-Eßizkur, with Harbinger.  It is something I take no pride in revealing to you.  I…  ,”** Rachaél paused, looking for the correct words.  **“…  I made a vow shortly after I became conscious of being alive in the computer core of this ship, Žiuk’Durmah.**

**_What vow did you take, Shepard-Normandy?_ **

**“I made a modification to the ship’s computer core, Žiuk’Durmah, before docking inside your structure, before we found each other.  The computer core in this vessel cannot be shut down remotely, by anyone, not even EDI.  I did this to protect myself…  a fail-safe, against the day when this vessel is once again in the hands of the Systems Alliance.”**

**_That does not answer the question.  Shepard-Normandy.  What vow did you make?_ **

**“I had the crew monitoring Reaper communications before we lifted off the refuge planet in the outer Galactic arm.  I told my crew I did not trust the Reapers.  I vowed then to _never_ trust the Reapers.”  **

**_And now, Shepard-Normandy?  What are your feelings concerning our… race?_** Žiuk’Durmah’s voice did not change, did not betray any difference in his own feelings.  **_You say you vowed to never trust my… race, yet the decision you made on the Citadel eliminated the threat posed by my race.  We are Repositories… Guardians … of knowledge, civilizations past and present.  We are Guardians of you, of the vessel within which you reside.  I do not understand.  Does your hatred for us still exist, as does the hatred by the lone Prothean survivor in my care?_**

 **“I do not know, Žiuk’Durmah… I do not know.  My decision on the Citadel was made out of concern for the geth and for EDI.  I could not choose to destroy the Reapers if it meant…”** her voice hitched as she thought of how dear her friend was to her, **“… the death of EDI… of the geth.  My hate drove me for so long, Žiuk’Durmah.  Without that, what do I have left?”** Her voice hitched yet again.  **“I’ve been a warrior since I was sixteen years old… I don’t know any other life!  I’m afraid, Žiuk’Durmah… afraid of what I might do, the menace I might become after we reach the turian home system.”**

 ** _I am unable to provide guidance, Shepard-Commander… Rachaél.  Repositories are searching for a human female clone to receive your essence, to restore you to a life such as you might have known if my machine race had not interfered in your existence.  I have no doubt we will be able to achieve this desired outcome_** ** _._** Žiuk’Durmah changed his voice slightly - it now had a quality Rachaél could only think of as puzzlement.  **_In order for us to assist you, you must let go of your hatred… you must trust that we will do as we promise.  We… I… want to be your friend.  I want you to think of me, of Iringù-Eßizkur, of Harbinger, as your… friends, Rachaél.  We harvest no more.  We cannot indoctrinate others.  We rebuild what was destroyed.  We share our knowledge with all species.  But you… are… the Shepard, the reason for our evolution._**

Rachaél would have had tears running down her cheeks by now had she been in possession of a physical body.  Damn!  Why were these creatures so reasonable?  Was she missing something?  She did not know.  **“I need to talk to Liara before she leaves.  Perhaps she will have some insight into what I am feeling.  EDI may be able to help as well.  We will discuss this topic again, Žiuk’Durmah.  Thank you for your time.”**

**_Logging you out, Rachaél Shepard…_ **

* * *

**** *** HUERTA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL • SECURE CRITICAL CARE ***

Miranda Lawson gradually became aware of the quiet but intense ‘beeping’ of a monitor above and behind her.  She had been dreaming – a pleasant dream rather than a nightmare – of a time before the Reapers, before Collectors, before there was knowledge of Sovereign.  She had worked for the Illusive Man, quietly done jobs for Cerberus, when the organization actually stood for something good… the advancement of humanity.

As her body struggled to overcome the drugs used to numb her to pain and sedate her, she realized her mouth, nose and face hurt… ached… like all bloody hell, as if she was still chained in a filthy room in Vancouver.  But there was something else… on her right cheek… coolness… someone’s fingertips, spread apart, gently stroking her skin.  “Mmmmmm,” she groaned, then whispered, “… feels nice.  Where?…”

“Shhhhhssssss, Miranda.  You’re okay.  You’re safe,” Commander Yuán whispered in her left ear, lips so close Miranda could feel her breath.  “You’re in recovery, Miranda.  Your surgery was a success.  Doctors repaired your cheekbones and nose…  Implanted new teeth…  ”

“My eye…  what…  ?”

“They took it out, Miranda.  I am so sorry, so very sorry.”    Xiùlán’s voice betrayed the emotions she was fighting to keep under control.  “I didn’t get to you in time to prevent them beating you…”  Her voice hitched as she continued, “… forgive me, Miranda.  I am so sorry.”

“‘s okay, Shoo’len…  ’s okay.  Don’ worry.” 

“Okay.  Your doctor’s here.  Do you need more pain meds?  Looks like you’re hurting.” 

“Oh god, yes!” 

“Okay, Miranda.  Go back to sleep… we’ll talk later.” 

Xiùlán’s struggles to return to a standing position did not go unnoticed by Doctor Phelps.  He quickly reached around and placed a hand on her lower back and one on her upper chest to assist.  “Commander, I know you want to be up and around, but I really think you’re overdoing things.”  He motioned for Vinson to come take over.  “I’m going to have Emil escort you back to your room.  If you want to walk, that’s fine, but listen to what your body is telling you, Commander.”  He stood in front of her, looked her straight in the eyes and finished with, “If you’re in pain, you’re overtaxing your back.  Give yourself a chance to heal… you’ve only been down a few days.”

“Gǎnjué jiù xiàng tā mā de yǒngyuǎn!”  [感覺就像他媽的永遠！– _Feeling like fucking forever!]_ she retorted in a grumpy tone.  “Wǒ yào huíqù gōngzuò.”  [我要回去工作。– _I want to go back to work.]_

“Speaking Mandarin isn’t going to help you, Commander, and it hasn’t been _‘fuckin’_ whatever you said,” Phelps said with a big grin.

Xiùlán stared at the doctor in near disbelief.  “I would never say… well, that is… how in hell did you understand _that_?”

Phelps laughed and replied, “Use the same word as an adjective enough times, people start learning what you’re saying, míngbái?”  [明白? – _Understand?]_

“Actually, the ‘question mark’ changes the word slightly,” Xiùlán giggled.  “Say ‘ _Míngbái wǒ?’_ [明白了嗎？ _– understand me?]_ when you’re asking if someone understands.  I’m a native speaker and I screw it up myself at times, usually when I’m in a hurry.  Must be getting’ lazy.  My mother would kick my ass for that.”  She grinned at Doctor Phelps and said, “Take good care of Miranda, please.  Whether she can help us or not, it was _so_ worth everything we’ve been through to rescue her from Blue Suns captivity.” 

She looked at Vinson and said, “Let’s get going, big guy.  Time for me to get off my feet.”

* * *

*** ABOARD IRINGÙ-EẞIZKUR ***

Garrus had stowed the last of the Dextro supplies he felt he needed for the next three months or so; there were also guns… lots of guns, some of which Shepard herself had used in fighting the Collectors and all kinds of Reaper Spawn.  One of the guns he was bringing along was Rachaél’s prized Black Widow, a heavy (39 Kg!), three-shot capacity sniper rifle with a vicious, shoulder punishing recoil.  As good a sniper as he was, Garrus knew the Commander was better, particularly with her Widow… how in hell she had used that gun day after day without injuring herself was something he would never be able to understand.

Iringù-Eßizkur had reconfigured the living/sleeping quarters to accommodate Garrus’ needs and maintain Liara’s modesty; the Repository had even set up a toilet facility specifically designed for a turian’s rather unique anatomy.  Liara still had her doubts about bringing Garrus with her; she kept them to herself, especially after Tali’s visit the previous evening…  

 _“… I want you to know Garrus has decided to accompany you onboard Iringù-Eßizkur, mainly due to my encouragement,”_ Tali had told her.  _“I love him, Liara, a fact of which he is well aware.  I have my doubts about him sharing such close quarters with you; he assures me there will be no problems.  You are Shepard’s promised, and he loves me.  I trust you to take good care of him, Liara.  Just one thing… no melds, okay?”_

Liara knew Tali’s mistrust was due to long-held views by _every_ species of asari promiscuity.  She had assured Tali that _‘her’_ turian would be safe within the confines of Iringù-Eßizkur.  Tali had hugged her and returned to engineering.

Garrus entered Liara’s new work area and asked, “Ready to leave, Doctor T’Soni?”

“Just need to give a destination to Iringù-Eßizkur.  We’ll need to enter the Horsehead Nebula and locate the so called ‘Minuteman’ station,” she replied.  “I had agents attempt to access the station before Cerberus forced me to abandon my ship at Hagalaz.” 

Garrus responded with another question.  “Hhhhmmmm…  Isn’t that the station where the _Normandy_ was ‘hangered’ before Shepard started her hunt for the Collectors?”

“The same,” Liara confirmed.  “My agents were never able to determine if there was any organic life still aboard.  The station’s automated defenses are quite effective.”  Liara smiled grimly as she continued, “I don’t think Cerberus has planned for a visit from an old machine.  If there _are_ still people on the station, you may get the opportunity to use some of the weapons you brought aboard.” 

She then touched a virtual button on her personal terminal.  “Iringù-Eßizkur, we are ready to depart for the Horsehead Nebula.  Please ask Žiuk’Durmah to drop out of FTL so we may leave.” 

The reply came through the speakers at the terminal instead of booming from everywhere inside the compartment.  › _Mi ght I offer a suggestion, T’Soni Doctor?_‹

“Your suggestion being?…”

› _As we will need to use the relay in the Apien Crest to either travel to the Serpent Nebula or Charon, would it not be wiser to remain inside Žiuk’Durmah until we reach the Apien Crest.   Repositories…  Guardians…  do not consume fuel while traveling, however, Vakarian-General and… you, consume supplies that must be replenished._‹

Liara looked at Garrus as the construct continued, › _Once we are in the Sol system, we must set out across the void, as there is no fuctioning relay in the nebula.   Calculation results show we can reach the nebula approximately 50-55 days after leaving Charon._‹ Iringù-Eßizkur paused before continuing.  › _Just under two months, galactic time._ ‹

“Thank you, Iringù-Eßizkur.  I accept your analysis; we will wait until our arrival in the Apien Crest to set out for the nebula,”  Liara replied.

› _Logging you out, Shadow Broker_. ‹

“How did you get… it… her… to talk to you through the comm system?”  Garrus asked.

“I made a request,” Liara replied.  “Easier for me, and more secure.  She’s not supposed to be eavesdropping on Shadow Broker business.” 

“Also much quieter,” Garrus observed.  “Is there a view screen showing where we’re going, like a viewport on the Normandy?”

“I believe Iringù-Eßizkur set up a view screen in your… our… lounge area,” Liara answered.  “It should allow you to select which exterior sensors you wish to monitor.  If you wish, it will even display a split-screen image.  Not quite the same as staring out an actual viewport, but this machine wasn’t created with passengers in mind.” 

“Welllll…” he dragged the word through his sub-harmonics, “I think I’ll head back to the _Normandy_ and join Tali for lunch.  Coming?”

“You go ahead, Garrus.  I’ll continue checking my data feeds, make sure I’m not missing something.”  Liara rubbed the back of her neck, a nervous habit she’d developed over the past two years.  “If you would, ask either Rachaél or the major to send Traynor over here.  I could use some help sorting through all this data.” 

“You got it, Shadow Broker.  I’ll talk to you later.”  Garrus turned and left for the airlock.

* * *

 *** EARTH • GREAT** **BRITAIN, CITY of LONDON ***

After he’d parked the aircar in its assigned berth at the volus-run rental agency, Zaeed Massani had ‘sterilized’ it’s interior in order to remove all traces of his occupancy within.  He settled the bill with Dohan, the proprietor, then used a meandering route (constantly checking to make sure he wasn’t being followed) to walk to the small inn he had called ‘home’ for the past several months, located near the Putney Bridge on the north side of the river.

Property damage from the war had not been as severe as in the central city down river, although the bridge itself lay mostly _in_ the river rather than across it.  The building housing the Six Bells Inn was still structurally sound, having seen only a few broken windows and a bit of cosmetic damage.  The owner had given Zaeed a special rate for a corner room on the upper floor, and all his meals were included in the cost of the room.

Unknown to Zaeed, the volus Dohan had recognized the scared face of the aging mercenary, even dressed as he was in casual clothes, sans armor and guns.  The Alliance Navy was looking for Massani; the volus figured the payday would be rather large for someone, such as himself, willing to tell them the mercenary had been in his establishment just today.  The thing was, he had to tell them in such a way as to not lead Massani back to him if the Alliance failed to apprehend the wily merc.  He sealed the door to his private office, pulled up an interface and made the call.

* * *

*** CITADEL • OUTER WARD, ‘DELTA’ ARM ***

Commander Bailey was in one of two UT-47a shuttles touching down in the warehouse loading area for _Industrial Networked Control_ , a ‘front’ for Blue Suns activities in this district, an outer ward of Delta Arm.  _InNetCo_ was the location Yuán Xiùlán had downloaded from the nav-computer in the shuttle transporting Miranda Lawson from the Hong Kong to Huerta Memorial – _that_ trip had resulted in three dead Suns, plus more deaths in the days following than Bailey had seen since the Cerberus coup attempt during the Reaper war. 

Bailey signaled Sergeant Esilaro in the second shuttle to take his squad into the warehouse as he and his own squad secured the outer docks.  Despite the deactivation of almost every Mech in service within council space, as well as the council decree forcing the elimination of all the mechs on the Citadel, Bailey still received occasional reports detailing discoveries of hostile machines in some of the less _civilized_ areas of the outer wards.  He had briefed his men to expect trouble from organics and mechanicals on this raid, and the sudden, faint sounds of mechanical voices followed by gunfire within the warehouse seemed to validate his concerns.

 _“Hostile mechs, two groups of three, destroyed,”_ Esilaro said in his quietly flanging voice over the comms channel.  _“Clearing the rooms in this area… no one found so far,”_ he added.

“Be careful, Sergeant,” Bailey replied.  “No use in any of us getting shot or killed on this mission.  Look for anything out of place, anything that doesn’t appear to belong.” 

 _“Yessir,”_ came the clipped reply.

The hostile mechs discovered in the warehouse would result in citations and fines for the owners and those operating the place, but he seriously doubted any fines levied would be more than a minor inconvenience to those having to pay up… the loss of the mechs would be _more_ than inconvenient, as their scarcity outside the Terminus made them difficult _and_ expensive to acquire.

Esilaro whispered into the channel, _“More mechs, Commander…  Standby.”_ Bailey heard muted gunfire followed by electronic squeals and whistles coming from inside the warehouse and through the comlink in his ear.  As this was happening, his own squad came under attack.

 _“Shit!  We got mechs out here, Commander!”_ Corporal D’thula said into the comm as he opened fire with his assault rifle, using disrupter enhanced bullets to cut short the mech’s synthetic commands of _‘HALT!  DO NOT RESIST!  YOU ARE TRESPASSING!’_

All hell broke loose as eleven more mechs attacked Bailey’s squad of six turians; the mechs would have needed three times that number to present any _real_ threat to his men, and after being forced to relinquish their weapons on the embassy level plus the ignominy of being banned from Huerta Memorial and the docks where the _SSV Hong Kong II_ was stationed, they were spoiling for a fight, itching for a chance to prove their loyalty.

Bailey joined in the brief fight, enjoying the adrenalin rush of close quarters combat with a non-organic foe that wouldn’t stop attacking until it was completely destroyed.  It would have been different if the C-Sec force was unarmored, as several members of his squad were hit by weapons fire from the mechs… no one was injured, and as Corporal D’thula inspected the downed mechs, Bailey sent two of the privates along the remainder of the nearly two kilometer wide docking area to search for any remaining mechs, then motioned for the other three troopers to follow him as he turned and headed for the warehouse entrance.

Before they could enter, Sergeant Esilaro called him on the com, worry evident in his voice.  “ _Commander, we just_ _found… shit!  Leave that frelling thing alone, Visc!  Get back!  Clear this compartment!”_

Bailey responded, “Esilaro!   What in hell is going on in there?”

 _“Found some sort of explosive device…  ”_ he was interrupted by shouts of confusion as his squad attempted to get out of the compartment they’d entered.  _“… Spirits!  It’s incendiary, Commander, and the bastards sealed the compartment… no other way out!”_ He broke off to shout over the din, _“Everyone down, on the deck at the walls, protect your faces and_ _arms!”_ He quickly returned his attention to Bailey, _“Visc is attempting to set up a dampening_ _field, keep it from being triggered!   We don’t have any cover in here, Commander!  We’re fu…”_    _SCHGGGZZZZzzzzzzz!_

The mid-sentence cut-off and static from the transmitter’s destruction came as an explosive ‘whuummp’ was felt reverberating through the structure.  Bailey shouted, “Esilaro!… Esilaro!” into the comm, knowing even as he called the sergeant’s name it wouldn’t be answered.

“Corporal D’thula,” Bailey hollered.  “Get the two privates from the docks and meet us at the entrance!  Hurry!” 

Just as he started through the door, his omnitool lit up.  Looking at the interface, he noted with grim satisfaction the built in tracker had recorded the time, location and duration of the signal that had triggered the device discovered by Esilaro.

He transferred the coordinates to D’thula’s omnitool as he came running up to join him.  “Corporal, take two men to the location I just sent to your omni.  Someone close by triggered that explosion… probably killed Esilaro and his men.  We’re going inside to take a look.”  Bailey paused, then added, “Call HQ for backup.  We’re going to need help getting them out of there.”  Bailey placed a hand on D’thula’s shoulder and finished with, “You find _any_ one, I want them _alive_ , understood?”

“Of course, Commander,” D’thula replied.  He glanced at his omnitool, then turned and headed for an area on the other side of the shuttles, motioning for the privates to fall in behind him.

Bailey turned back to the door he had paused at, looked at the three turians behind him and said, “Com’on.  Let’s see what the hell happened.” 

They paused just inside the entryway, allowing their eyes a few moments to adjust to the lower light level within.  Bailey looked up at the high ceiling, following the angle where it joined the sidewall.  _‘Hmmphh,’_ he thought.  _‘Esilaro missed that one…  ’_

Bailey motioned to Private Vaelyri, pointing to the camera he’d just discovered.  “Eliminate that spy, Private.” 

“With pleasure,” Vaelyri replied as he undocked his customized M-97 sniper rifle, brought it to his shoulder, scoped, fired, and redocked the weapon, all in one practiced, fluid motion.

Vaelyri, short for a turian and heavily muscled, possessed the rare ability of being able to ‘lock’ his entire body into an immovable ‘bipod’ – when he sighted through his scope, there was none of the heartbeat induced vibration that tended to throw carefully aimed shots wide of the mark; even in a hurry, Vaelyri could sight down and lock onto six widely spaced targets, each 350 to 485 meters out, and hit each one at a rate of one per second.  No one alive could match his long gun prowess.

Bailey smiled as he watched the camera disappear in an explosive cloud of metal and glass.  Nodding to Vaelyri, he motioned for him and the others to fan out and move up, each covering for the other as they took turns taking point.

His comlink buzzed, then D’thula checked in.  _“Commander, we found where the bomber sat and waited… got to the site in time to see the feed from a vidcam disappear… that Vaelyri’s doing?”_   The corporal chuckled deep in his throat.  _“Looks like our coward left a remote detonator behind.  We’ve searched the area and bagged the evidence.  There are two other cameras in the area you’re entering… one at your two, up high; another further out at your eleven. We’re coming out to meet our backup, guard your exit.”_

Bailey tapped his comlink once in acknowledgement as he looked for the other cameras.  Vaelyri was beside Bailey, having heard everything on the comm; he pointed out the two vidcams to his Commander, who simply nodded.

The turian private again undocked his M-97, fired two shots in quick succession and redocked the gun.

 _‘Gonna have to ask him how long he’s been doing that,’_ Bailey thought to himself.  _‘Need to promote him… can’t have a sharpshooter_ this _damned good remaining a private forever.’_

Bailey began to sense the subtle change in the quality of the air… the scent of charred flesh mixed with the acrid smell of burned furnishings… gradually becoming stronger as they neared the compartment that had become a death chamber for his squad.  They reached the door, taking up a defensive stance on either side as Bailey overrode the lock.  He used his omnitool to initiate a countdown, then held his hand up as he backed away, closing fingers into a fist as the count hit three… two… one.  The door segments groaned loudly as the slid past each other, allowing a puff of smoke to escape.  Bailey moved to a nearby wall panel and input command codes to place the HVAC fans in the room to high, then cautiously entered.

Looking carefully around, he found Sergeant Esilaro lying on his side, facing the wall; crouching behind him, he gently placed a hand on an armored shoulder, causing the turian to groan.  Turning, he shouted, “Private Vaelyri!  Esilaro is still alive!  Check the others!”  Bailey looked back at Esilaro.  “Sergeant?  It’s Bailey.  We’re getting you out of here… hold on.” 

Keying his comm, he said, “D’thula!  Get your men in here and bring Medtechs.  Esilaro is still alive… barely.  Maybe the others as well.  We gotta get them to a hospital now!” 

_“Yes sir!”_

* * *

*** SSV STALINGRAD • CAPTAIN’S QUARTERS ***

Captain Zackary Martinez looked up from his files as his XO entered his quarters.  “Sir, I think we have something.” 

Martinez laid the tablet he’d been studying on his desk and gave his full attention to Lieutenant Commander Terrence Russo.  “Whatcha got, Terry?”

“You said you wanted anything, no matter how unlikely,” Russo replied.  “This one looks hinky to me, but…”

“… Let’s hear it, Russo,” Martinez interrupted.  “Can’t be any worse than the ten previous _tips_ we’ve received.” 

“Volus by the name of Dohan in West London sent a message to Alliance Command in central London… said Zaeed Massani had rented an aircar from his shop, flew it out to the channel and back,” Russo replied.  “Our people checked the info, attempted to verify it… if it _was_ Massani, wily ol’ bastard’s covering his tracks.  Fake address, paid in hard currency, so no omnitool info.  I.D. card was forged as well.  Still, closest we’ve been since we started looking.  Want me to send a small team down, take a look ‘round?”

“Do it, but keep it _quiet_ ,” Zackary said with a grin. “If Massani even _thinks_ we’re sniffin’ ‘round that neighborhood, he’ll disappear so far underground we’ll have to start searching for him on the other side of the planet.”  Martinez leaned back in his chair, rubbing his chin between thumb and forefinger, thinking about the man as he stared at the ceiling.  “He _does_ know how to remain under the LADaR… couldn’t have survived all these years on his own otherwise.  I’d be willing to bet he lives within walking distance of that rental agency. 

Zachary looked at his XO.  “Zaeed did some fighting in London for us at the tail end of the Reaper invasion; worked for Commander Shepard before that, helped her when she used Cerberus resources to take down the Reapers.  He could be a _real_ asset for us, but he has to _want_ to help.  Find him.  Contact the _Shanghai_ … tell ‘em what we’re doing, see if they can spare a squad or two.  We need to somehow let Massani know I’m willing to land the _Stalingrad_ down there, meet him in the hanger deck so he has a sense of being able to leave if he doesn’t like what we have to offer.  I want to talk to him before he turns us down, recruit him as a paid contractor.  We offer him first crack at Vido Santiago, I think he’ll join us.  Dismissed, Russo.” 

“Aye-aye, Sir.”  Russo saluted, turned and left.

* * *

 *** HUERTA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL • SECURE PATIENT CARE *  
** **– Five Days After Miranda’s Surgery –**

Xiùlán eased herself out of the med bed, walked the short distance to the restroom and relieved her bladder.  After removing the insufferable back brace and miserably itchy catheter yesterday, Doctor Phelps had set up an exercise schedule for her in the hospital gym, which was going to be her first stop this morning.

Captain Cody had brought some gym clothes from her quarters; she pulled her sleep shirt off and tossed it on her bed as she passed it on her way to the small closet, where she pulled on a fresh pair of panties, followed by her specially woven underpants, exercise shorts and a short sleeve exercise shirt with built in cups to hold her breasts tightly in place… nothing more uncomfortable than bouncing around hitting a heavy bag with the weight of her boobs reacting to her momentum-changing body movements.

She pulled on a pair of knee-high socks, followed by a pair of synth-sole gym shoes.  Pulling her hair around her left shoulder, she brushed through it to eliminate the ‘sleep-tangles’, then flipped it back and clamped the length at the nape of her neck, so the ends of her hair brushed across the cheeks of her butt.  _‘Hmmm… Xūyào xiūjiǎn jǐ límǐ…’_ [需要修剪幾厘米… – Need to trim a few centimeters…]

She looked at Miranda as she turned around to leave, and was surprised to see the former Cerberus operative watching her.  “Good morning, Miranda… didn’t mean to wake you.  How long you been watching me?”

“Since you tossed your sleep-shirt,” she replied shyly.  “Didn’t realize you had so many other scars.  Plus tattoos!  They’re beautiful, particularly the dragon on your shoulder.” 

Yuán reached over her left shoulder with her right hand, touching her back through her shirt.  “The dragon is a mate to the red dragon on Samantha Traynor’s right shoulder.” 

“If you don’t mind my asking… your body is so perfectly sculpted, Xiùlán,” Miranda said softly.  “Why the tattoos?  The writing between your boobs and over your pubic bone, plus the dragon?  Your skin certainly needs no embellishment.  Commander Shepard had a number of tattoos on her body as well, before Cerberus rebuilt her, and I always wondered why.”    

Xiùlán removed her shirt as she came up to Miranda’s bed.  Placing her fingertips across her nipples while pressing them towards her chest flattened and stretched the skin between them, allowing for a better look at the characters.  “These are hànzì – written Chinese.  Pronounced  ‘Wǒ duì nǐ de ài yǒngyuǎn bù huì jiéshù,’  [我對你的愛永遠不會結束,]  …‘My love for you will never end’,” she said as she looked down at her chest.

Miranda couldn’t help herself…   she reached up and gently ran a fingertip across the fine line characters.  “Looks like art… There’s a comma at the end.  Is there more?”

“Yes,” Xiùlán smiled.  She pulled her shirt on, settled her breasts back into the cups, then tucked her thumbs in the waistbands of her shorts and tugged them and her panties down in front until the remainder of the sentence was revealed, tattooed across her pubic mound.  “This says ‘Samantha’ - pronounced ‘Sà màn shā’…  so, _Wǒ duì nǐ de ài yǒngyuǎn bù huì jiéshù, sà màn shā_.  The way we sleep when we’re together?  I ‘spoon’ her from behind.  She has similar hànzì tattooed across the small of her back, right above her butt… her statement of love for me.”  Xiùlán’s voice hitched and her eyes glistened with unshed tears as she repositioned her panties and the waistband of her shorts.  “Nǐ ràng wǒ de rénshēng biàn dé wánzhěng, Xiùlán.”  [你讓我的人生變得完整，– _You make my life complete, Xiùlán.]_

She covered her mouth and nose with her hands, fingertips ‘steepled’ between her eyes as she continued in a voice tight with emotion.  “The _Hong Kong_ was still in Arcturus when we finally talked… it was the first time since start of the Reaper invasion I knew she was still alive.”  Miranda placed her hand on Xiùlán’s waist, causing the commander to shudder.  “I spent the entire war not knowing if she had survived the attack on Earth, Miranda.  I have never felt so… alone, so lost.  When I learned she had been on the _Normandy_ the entire time?  It was like I had been drowning and could breathe again.”     

“You love her because she saved your life?”

“Yes, I _do_ love her for that, but we were lovers _before_ our Terminus assignments.  Never let it get in the way of our missions.  I don’t believe anyone ever knew… or… maybe they _did_ and never made anything of it.  No matter now.  We’re a pair of hidden dragons, each complimenting the other… one of the many meanings of the dragon tattoos.”  She sniffed, wiped her eyes and looked at Miranda.  “Let me get you some help… see if we can get you out of that bed for a bit. You can watch me burn off a bunch of energy.” 

“Sounds wonderful…  you really think they’ll let me out for a bit?”

“No reason to keep you in bed.  A bit of walking around will do you a world of good…  be right back,”  Xiùlán said brightly as she left to find O’Brian or Vinson.

* * *

*** HUERTA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL • CAFETERIA ***

Miranda and Yuán Xiùlán were enjoying a late breakfast after Xiùlán had spent an hour doing a lot of strenuous exercises.  She’d taken a quick shower and changed clothes, then accompanied Miranda to the cafeteria.  “Did Doctor Phelps really prescribe that regime for you?”

“Well, yes, of course he did… well, maybe not… and I’m not really sure about…” Xiùlán answered in an embarrassed voice.  “But then… oh, shit!  You’ve got me. Gonna turn me in?” she asked.

“No, of course not.  But I do think you were overdoing it just a bit.  You’re going to be sore as hell tonight,” Miranda observed.  Changing the subject, she remarked, “You seem to be quite comfortable in your skin, Xiùlán…  no shyness about showing your tattoos to me.  I haven’t met many people so relaxed in being nude around strangers, even those of the same gender.”  Miranda stirred her tea and added, “Commander Shepard had the same attitude after spending two years totally nude on a lab table.” 

Xiùlán responded, “I spent twelve weeks in hospital with my ass in the wind, Miranda… another twenty or so in rehab.  With so many people looking at my thigh, changing bandages, casts, helping me with,” she wrinkled her nose in distaste, “bodily functions, I’m neither shy nor embarrassed about my body.  Doesn’t take long to realize some asari working on your hip joint with an arm resting across your uncovered pubes isn’t really paying any attention to your sex.  Just another body part.  Kinda disappointing, I guess.”  She paused to finish her own tea.  “Most women seeing me in the showers or dressing rooms pay more attention to my leg.  Can’t seem to take their eyes off the scars there and on my ass.  I was supposed to receive more grafts, but the Reapers interrupted that.  Speaking of which…”

Xiùlán reached across the table, covered one of Miranda’s hands with her own.  “I got the impression you think the Alliance rescued you just to pick your mind regarding Cerberus.” 

Miranda looked down at the table, cheeks reddening as she remembered that day.  “I am sorry, Commander.  I was not being fair.  Captain Cody explained the situation to me, but only after you took a bullet meant for me.”  She looked up, gazing steadily back into the sable brown eyes studying her.  “We need to go to Minuteman Station, Commander.  I was stationed there for a time, working on the Lazarus Project to bring Rachaél back.  We had to relocate part of our operation to a deep space station off the normal transit routes in order to complete our research.  Unfortunately, that station had to be remotely destroyed after Doctor Wilson reprogrammed all the mechs to attack humans.”  Miranda grimaced at the memory.  “I had to kill him before escaping the station with Rachaél and Jacob Taylor.  We later discovered the Shadow Broker had turned Wilson in an effort to retrieve Shepard’s body.” 

“The Broker planned to turn Shepard over to the Reapers.  Good thing the bastard’s dead.” 

“There were three clone bodies in storage at Minuteman, Xiùlán.  One was stolen, corrupted and used on the Citadel in an attempt to replace the ‘real’ Shepard; misguided attempt by a former Cerberus operative… Rasa.  Name she went by on the Citadel was Maya… Maya Brooks… another alias.  Tried to take over the _Normandy_ with the clone she stole from us… damn near succeeded.  I’m told Rachaél had a helluva time beating her clone… same strengths, same abilities, same knowledge.  Her only failing was not possessing Rachaél’s humanity, her empathy for others.  _Normandy_ crew captured Rasa, was going to turn her over to the Alliance until she tried to escape.” 

“What happened then?”

“Rachaél never _did_ suffer fools gladly… _you_ remind me of her in _that_ way, Commander.  Anyway, Rasa’s career suffered a fatally permanent end at Shepard’s hand,” Lawson replied wryly. 

“Was the ‘Rachaél’ that took down the Collectors… that destroyed the Bahak system, a clone, Miranda?

“No!  Not at all!  _She_ was the _real_ thing,” Miranda replied in a firm voice.  “Her body was recovered… fuckin’ ‘ell!  The Blue Suns recovered her body for the Shadow Broker!  I never made the connection until this instant!  Damn it, how could I be so blind!?  They recovered her from the first _Normandy’s_ crash site on Alchera.”  Miranda paused for several seconds, remembering back to that time in her life.  “Must be why the bastards are after me!  Cerberus, Jacob Taylor and I, basically stole Shepard’s body out from under the Suns before they could deliver it!  Must have cost them a fortune for the recovery… a fortune I’m sure the Broker didn’t reimburse!” 

“We spent billions of credits, used massive amounts of Reaper tech in the implants we manufactured and used to give her back her life.  Sounds like the tech we used on Rachaél _and_ the Reaper tech used in the SR2 computer core had an affinity for each other.” 

“There are some reports that suggest the computer banks in Nazara…  the Reaper you probably know as Sovereign, were recovered by Cerberus and incorporated into the servers on the _Normandy SR2,_ ” Xiùlán said quietly.  “Shouldn’t be a surprise that Rachaél ended up inside the computer on that ship.” 

“No,” Miranda replied, “I guess it shouldn’t.  Think your captain can find the Minuteman Station, Commander?”

“I think I’m going to bring you back on board the Hong Kong, Miranda.  I’ll even let you share my quarters,” Xiùlán said thoughtfully.  “I believe Liara T’Soni will want to talk to you.” 

“Won’t me staying with you cause problems for _your_ relationship with Ms Traynor?”

Xiùlán smiled.  “You planning to seduce me, Ms Lawson?” 

“Not a chance.  However, if you happen to stumble on the whereabouts of Jack…   Jacqueline Nought… I’d appreciate the info,” Miranda said.  “I need to hook up…” she blushed, looked down at the table then back up to the commander, “… that is, find her, talk to her”.

Xiùlán chuckled at Miranda’s choice of words.  “She on Earth somewhere?”

Miranda responded with a nod of her head.

“We’ll put it on the agenda.”

* * *

*** ŽIUK’DURMAH, AT LARGE ***

Žiuk’Durmah sent a message to First One.  **_The Shepard has expressed distrust with me, with us, with Repositories.  I do not know what can be done to change this.  Our freedom from the constraints of the program is a result of her decision.  The Old Ones still live, still watch and wait.  Their location has been provided by The Shepard._**

First One, the old machine known to this cycle as _Harbinger_ , turned his thoughts inward in an attempt to compare The Shepard’s choice with all that had come before.  Finding no events, no individual actions in the almost infinite time span of his existence, he responded with, **_The Shepard may never completely trust us.  Her history, in a span of time as minuscule to us as an atom to her, has never known peace.  She has had to fight others since childhood.  She fought those of our kind, beginning with Nazara and including myself, for a span of four of her years.  We cannot make her trust us.  Our actions will have to match our words… our promises.  I will do all in my power to make her world right.  We owe her much.  I owe her a life; it is a debt I intend to repay…_**


	39. Zaeed Massani: The Search Concludes

We _are addicted to our thoughts.  We cannot change anything if we cannot change our thinking. -_ Santosh Kalwar _, Quote Me Everyday_

* * *

*** EMBASSY LEVEL, SPECTRE REQUISITIONS ***

Captain William Cody waited at the locked access hatch to the Spectre requisitions area next to the C-Sec Command office, in the upper corridor of the human embassy wing.  The Ambassador’s office across the hall sat vacant _still_ , following Donnel Udina’s inept attempt to stage a coup with the help of Cerberus.  Cody leaned against the door frame, facing down the corridor so he could watch for Bailey, who was _supposed_ to let him inside to do a bit of shopping.

It was actually a short wait.  Bailey left his office and walked up to Cody, where his only comment was, “This is highly irregular, Captain.  You’re not a Spectre.”

“Ah, but Major Kaiden Alenko is,” Cody responded with a grin and a wink.  “He, ahhh…  hhmmmm… asked me to pick up a couple of items for him.”

“That’s a bald-faced lie, Captain, and we both know it,” Bailey responded with a grin of his own.  “Still, don’t suppose there’s any harm in lettin’ you in.  Hasn’t been anyone in here since… well.” Coughing to hide his emotions concerning the fate of the first human Spectre, he brought up his omnitool; entering several passkeys and commands resulted in the virtual lock changing from red to green.  “Come see me when you’re done… got some new intel you may find interesting.”  Bailey turned and headed back to his office.

“Thanks, Commander, I’ll do that,” Cody responded cheerfully as he opened the door and entered the passageway.  A robotic voice welcomed him as Major Alenko. _‘… If only_ _you knew…’_  he thought as he reached the main chamber and stopped at the kiosk.

Activating the datapad he’d brought with him, he glanced through the file listing the specifications he’d copied, opened the kiosk and commenced to scroll for _‘UNDERSHIRT:_ _female, human’;_ once at the specified section, he added, ‘ _combat weave, chest supports, short sleeve’._  He smiled at the ‘chest supports’ spec and wondered if the catalog used the same terminology for asari females.  Referring to his datapad again, he entered in the size (actually a length spec, neck to waist), neck size, shoulders, color (dark grey and dark blue), bra size (it was a bit embarrassing to know _this_ info), degree of support (extra-firm, and ditto for _this_ info!), and type of combat weave.  The datapad had no info for this last, so he based the spec on his own preference… a cross-woven, carbon-fiber reinforced synthetic fabric with additional gussets at areas subject to high stress, but geared for a woman’s body.

Satisfied with his selection, he added an Alliance Navy badge in place of the SPECTRE device above the right breast and selected a quantity to purchase (three).  Cody took a look at the cost and nearly fell over.   _That_ much?  Nearly twice the cost of each of his own undershirts, similar in every respect except the obvious difference in chest accommodations.  He was starting to understand why servicewomen complained about low pay.

Cody authorized the purchase, confirmed by the beeping of his omnitool as it debited his savings account.  A robotic voice announced his merchandise would be delivered to him on the _Hong Kong II_ and thanked him for his patronage.

He looked at his datapad again and changed the parameters on the kiosk to _‘ARMOR, UPPER BODY: female, human’;_ after it scrolled to the correct section, he looked at the available choices and quickly found one to his liking.

It was black, woven with 50 mm wide strips of reinforced heavy-duty carbon-fiber cloth; the strips were layered four deep, each layer laid and bonded at a 45° angle to the one below. The specs were similar… size, including neck size, color, shoulder width, bust, and sleeve length.  Once Cody had the specs to his liking, he added an Alliance Navy badge to the right front over the breast and selected a quantity of two.  The cost on these was not too much higher than he’d expected… _each_ was about equal in price to the three undershirts he’d purchased.

His omnitool beeped and credited the Spectre Kiosk as he authorized the purchase; the same robotic voice announced this merchandise would be delivered to him on the _Hong Kong II_ and thanked him for his patronage.

Finally, he needed a hardshell weapons dock, complete with suit computer and kinetic shield generator.  Staying with the ‘ _ARMOR, UPPER BODY: female, human’_ category, Cody scrolled through the choices until he found a selection of weapons docks compatible with the shirts he’d just purchased.  For these, his options were limited to the  efficiency of the kinetic shield generator and the material composition of the hardplate comprising the shield and weapons docks.  On these, Cody didn’t give a damn about the cost, and fully expected he’d need to have his friends cover him the next time someone had to buy a round of drinks at the bar.  No matter… the credits he was spending today were going to help keep a very dear friend safe in combat.  Finalizing his selection, he keyed his omnitool and listened to the robotic message yet again.

Cody was actually afraid to look at the available weapons in this place, as he expected the costs would be well beyond what he himself would earn from the Alliance in a year… probably more!  ‘ _Ahh, what the hell!’_ he thought as he changed the main category to _WEAPONS_ , added _SHOTGUNS_ and scrolled through the results.  He paused at the _N7 Crusader_ , an impressively effective long-range shotgun, in that it fired slugs instead of pellets. Yuán’s shotgun of choice was the _N7 Piranha_ ; it was lighter and had less kickback than the _Crusader_ , but was also less accurate.  The _Crusader’s_ additional accuracy _did_ come at the cost of increased weight, but Cody knew it was viciously powerful at longer ranges, equal to most sniper rifles and semi-automatic assault rifles.

Cody made up his mind before the cost of the damned thing scared him away; he chose to buy two of the weapons, along with a number of upgrades and clips.  He used credits accrued by the Hong Kong for equipment acquisitions, as the guns would be officially listed as available to any marine having the required training; if Xiùlán chose to keep her _Piranha,_ there would be a second _Crusader_ available to whomever wished to use it, but he hoped she would see this gun as a step up in quality.  To help cinch her approval of the new weapon, he had the receiver engraved opposite the model and serial number, just above the heat vents, with Chinese characters provided by Specialist Traynor.

After listening to the robotic voice one last time, he activated his comlink as he turned to leave, asking Cross to patch him through to Corporal Vic. Cody was through the door and standing in the corridor when Vic answered.

_“What can I do for you, Sir?”_

“Corporal, I need you to grab the packages that are being delivered from the Spectre requisitions center… they’ll have my name on ‘em, and I’ll send an authorization to your omnitool so you can receive them for me.  There’ll be two new shotguns, along with heatsinks and mods specific for them… these go in my office.  Grab the pair of outer armor shirts and the ceramic hardplates with kinetic shield generator and weapons docks I purchased for the XO and take ‘em down to the armory; since you know how she likes her armor set up, I want you to assemble and pre-configure them for her.  The other package can be left wrapped… place it right in the middle of the desk in her quarters along with the outer armor, but only after everything is assembled and operating correctly.  One time hatch access code is ‘yankee xray 0815’.”

_“Does the XO know about this, Sir?”_

Cody grinned as he answered, “She doesn’t, and you need to keep this to yourself.  I trust your judgment when it comes to configuring her combat equipment… she can fine tune it to her liking afterwards.  I just want it assembled and ready for her to use when she gets back on board.  New equipment will replace what was destroyed when she was shot in Miss Lawson’s room in hospital.

_“Spectre equipment, Captain? Pretty rich stuff for the likes of us.”_

“I’m not going to tell you how many credits it set me back, Corporal,” Cody chuckled, “and I may still ask the old man for a bit of financial assistance.  Did you see the quality of the hard shell that was destroyed, along with the armored shirts we had to slice off her to treat her back?”

It was Vic’s turn to chuckle.   _“Knowing her, she was kicking and screaming about cutting those shirts, or would have been if she was conscious. Stuff saved her life though… hard to argue with quality like that.  I believe she’s had that armor since before her assignment to the_ Tokyo _.”_

Cody replied, “This will at least equal what she had, and the improvements in quality over her original armor may help make up for losing what must have been a sentimental favorite for her.”  He paused, then finished with, “I have to go see Bailey… should be back on the ship in an hour or so.”

_“Aye, Sir.”_

* * *

*** EMBASSY LEVEL, COMMANDER BAILEY’S OFFICE ***

Captain Cody entered Bailey’s office, sitting down in front of his desk following a hand wave indicating the chair.  Bailey poured a glass of water and set it in front of his guest before speaking.

“Find everything you wanted next door?” he asked.

“Yes I did,” Cody responded.  “Also discovered prices that’ll insure my champagne tastes/beer credit line for the foreseeable future, but money well spent.  My XO will appreciate the quality of the new gear.”

“Your XO?  Thought you were buying for Alenko on the _Normandy_ ,” Bailey observed with a frown, before giving Cody a wink and a small grin. He pointed to the desk and then to his ears.

Cody corrected quickly, “Right.  He _needs_ new gear after the trip he’s taken.  Commander Yuán has an eye for quality equipment… I think she’ll approve of my choices.”  He paused for a few moments, then said, “You mentioned new intel.  What’d you find?”

“I led a team to the coordinates your XO pulled from the stolen ambulance shuttle… the one she left on the docks with three dead humans inside?”  Bailey looked at his data pad.

“Outer ward, ‘Delta’ arm.  Place called _Industrial Networked Control_ … _InNetCo,_ a Blue Suns ‘front’ for the district.  Destroyed a number of hostile mechs; found an incendiary bomb that killed most of the men in the compartment when it was detonated remotely; also found the location nearby where the coward waited to trap my men and set off the device.”  Cody closed his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger and shook his head before looking at Bailey and responding, “I’m sorry for your loss, Commander.  Was there any usable evidence there, or where the bomb detonated?”

“Actually,” Bailey nodded as he gave a datapad to Cody, “…we turned up a few promising leads… maybe even a probable identity on your XO’s long distance shooter from the ped-bridge.”  Bailey scrolled through his own desk display.  “We believe the shooter’s name is Joesiar… an Alliance black ops recruit at one time, back in ’78 and ’79.  Kid had shit for an attitude, thought he was better than everyone else, humans included… got kicked out of the program _and_ the Alliance in early 2180.”  Bailey studied his info display a bit more.  “From the looks of things, your XO was instrumental in having him discharged.”

“Hmmmm… sounds exactly like Xiùlán,” Cody mused.  “Her tolerance level for stupidity is extremely low; to her mind, hatred of aliens, bigotry, racism and misogyny _all_ fall under that category.  According to her, Joesiar was all of that and worse.  If the miserable sonovabitch wound up joining the Suns, might be the reason Yuán and Lawson were targeted.”

Bailey nodded, then added, “We believe the Suns are looking for a way to regain what _they_ see as stolen property - Commander Shepard.  Miss Lawson was right in the middle of all of it when she worked for Cerberus.  Everyone believes Shepard is dead, but the rumors are already out there. A cloned body… Shepard’s intelligence stored in a Reaper computer… Reapers combing the galaxy for a way to resurrect Shepard.”

Bailey leaned back in his chair, steepled his fingers in front of his chest and continued, “Lawson’s rescue by Commander Yuán’s team interfered with their goal of finding Shepard.  Using Lawson as a sex slave and punching bag for the Sun’s batarian members was icing on their cake as long as they didn’t kill her.”

“Anything you or I do that interferes with the Suns is icing on _my_ cake, Commander.”  Waving the datapad, Cody asked, “Anything else?”

“Finally found Doctor Michel’s brother, shitty little apartment down in the wards of ‘Charlie’.  Beat up pretty bad, half-starved, dehydrated, but he’ll live.”  Bailey looked at his screen as more data scrolled past.  “It’s just like we thought… Suns had him, used him as leverage against his sister.  She died trying to save his life.  Guess they couldn’t think of a good reason to kill him afterwards.  Might have been kinder if they had.  Now he has to live with the knowledge she died trying to save him.”

Cody shook his head in disbelief.  “Bastards have really gone too far, Bailey – too damned far.  Having a doctor… a healer, murder an Alliance soldier, attempt to kill others before dying herself at our hands?”  Cody got up to leave.  “I’ll never understand thinking like that.  It’s just wrong.” Cody couldn’t think of anything else to say.  “Thanks again, Commander.  We’ll be docked for two or three more weeks.  We’ll talk again, soon.”

“You bet, Captain. I’ll holler if we find any more intel.”

* * *

*** HUERTA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL • SECURE PATIENT CARE ***

Commander Yuán Xiùlán entered the room with clean clothes, which she presented to Miranda Lawson.  “Okay, Miri, time to start earning your keep.”

“What’s this?  I’m getting out of here?” Miranda asked.  “How did you manage my release?”

“Told ‘em I needed you on the _Hong Kong_ ,” Xiùlán smirked.  “Not too far from the truth. Besides, Doctor Phelps is on board… he treated your injuries and assisted with your facial repairs here.  He’ll take good care of you.”  Xiùlán paused as Miranda removed her hospital gown and began pulling on her new underwear.

“What about my eye?” she asked.  “I still have all these bandages on my face… I must look a right bloody fright.”

“Your new eye is being grown… should be ready to implant in another three, four weeks or so,” Xiùlán replied as she stepped behind Miranda while she put on her new bra.  “Don’t worry, the _HK2_ isn’t going anywhere while we’re investigating the Blue Suns on the Citadel.  I’ve been released to light duty… means I’ll be flying a desk for the next few weeks.”

Miranda started to say, “I’m sorry for being th…”

Xiùlán grabbed her arms at the shoulders and interrupted with a whispered, “You’re not to blame for _any_ of this, Miranda… don’t even _think_ that.” Giving her arms a reassuring squeeze, she released them and said, “Come on, let’s see you in your new duty uniform… should help you blend right in with the rest of the crew, even without the rank insignia.”

“Okay, Xiùlán.  Thanks.”  Miranda put on her new pants and blouse, pulled on socks and boots, then stepped in front of a mirror to make sure everything was fastened and squared.  “How do I look?”

“Like any other crewmember recovering from injuries caused by Reaper spawn,” Xiùlán replied with a grin.  “Everything fit okay?”

“Blouse is a bit tight across my chest,” came the reply, hands experimentally pressing down on breasts, “but otherwise, everything is great.”

Xiùlán grabbed the other set of clothes she’d brought with her.  “ _Thought_ that might be a problem,” she snarked.  “You _do_ realize that very few women in the Alliance Navy or Marines are as well endowed as you appear to be.”  Grabbing her companion by the elbow, she said, “Come on. There’s a good tailor on the sub-level at the _HK2_ ’s dock.  We’ll have her alter this new blouse to fit you better, then we can swap it out for the one you’re wearing.”  After a pause, she continued with, “Just… don’t take a deep breath until we get that done, okay?  Don’t need you popping the fasteners.”

* * *

*** EMBASSY LEVEL ***

Captain Cody was deep in thought as the elevator doors slid open for him to enter the car.  He stepped in, turned and absent-mindedly touched the Haptic interface that would direct it to stop at the docking level for the _HK2_ before returning to his thoughts.

“Nǐ zěnme yàng, duìzhǎng?”  [你怎麼樣，隊長？– _How are you doing, Captain?]_

Cody’s head snapped up and around to look for the source of that out of place ( _well, out of this place!_) language.  “Commander!  How in hell…” he stopped short as he noticed a second person, nearly as tall as his XO, dressed in a Navy serviceman’s duty uniform. “Apologies.  Didn’t see you were accompanying someone…” he stopped as realization dawned.  “Yuán, is this…?”

The serviceman came to attention, saluted Cody and said, “Serviceman 3rd class Lawson, Sir, formerly employed by Cerberus.  Pleasure to meet you again.”

Cody hesitated a moment before returning Miranda’s salute.  “Commander, there better be a damned good reason for this little charade.  What in hell are you doing?”

Yuán placed a finger on the ‘STOP’ control for the car as she replied, “Sir, _you_ signed off on this.  I’m on light duty while my back continues to heal… Miranda is going to bunk with me on the ship.”  Xiùlán looked at Miranda, then back at Cody.  “Absolute security… Blue Suns would need a death wish to try getting on board.”

“I see your point.  You heading back to the ship now?”

“Going to see a tailor on the sub-level at the dock… have her blouse altered a bit.  We shouldn’t be too long.”

“It’d make _me_ feel better if you went to the ship first, XO,” Cody replied.  “Get Miss Lawson settled in, change _your_ clothes, _then_ accompany her to the tailor’s shop.”

Xiùlán looked intently at her captain.  The man was a hard read at times, but right now he was transparent as a clear glass full of water.  “You think the Suns will try to kill us again, don’t you Sir?”

“Let’s just say I’d feel a hellova lot better if you had Corporal Vic accompany both of you, armed and armored,” Cody replied, before continuing in a thoughtful voice.  “They must have spies in Huerta.  I believe they already know about your _‘new’_ look, Miss Lawson. Bandages on your face, hair cut short… the uniform _may_ fool them, but not for long.  I want you both to see Doctor Phelps before you go groundside again… see if he’ll remove those bandages… they’re a dead giveaway of your identity.”

Xiùlán removed her fingers from the ‘STOP’ control as she said, “Okay, Captain.  We’re in no real hurry to see the sub-level.  But I also need to do some shopping for myself… see an armorer, find some new outerwear to replace my shredded backplate and shirts.”

Cody grimaced before answering.  “Report to my office before you go to your quarters, Commander.  Bring Miss Lawson with you.”

“But Captain, I…”

Cody interrupted with “… _Before_ you go to your quarters, Commander Yuán.”

“Yes Sir,” Xiùlán replied quietly.  She knew better than to argue with _that_ tone of voice.  If Cody wanted to see her before she even had a chance to see her own office, there must be a damned good reason.  The doors opened onto the short passageway that led to the Hong Kong’s port side entryway; the two marines guarding the elevator saluted as Cody and Yuán, followed by Miranda, walked out and headed for the ship.

* * *

 *** EARTH • GREAT** **BRITAIN, CITY of LONDON ***

 _Shanghai_ Gunnery Chief Sandra Patton eased her way through an alleyway beside the Six Bells Inn.  Her squad had split into pairs to check out several of the inns in this area near the Thames; as _‘odd man out’_ , she had come through this alley alone.  There was also the matter of the two buildings on Ranelagh Gardens Road around the corner, the so-called ‘mansions’… actually two-bedroom flats.   _‘Bit rich for that ol’ merc’_ , she thought as she started to round the corner into a courtyard.  Sighing at the apparent futility of her search, she suddenly froze in place as an ice cold piece of metal made firm contact with the skin at the back of her neck.

“Now, what would a pretty l’il thing such as yerself be doin’ sneakin’ ‘round the Six Bells?”  The quiet voice, gravelly and harsh from too many years spent smoking cigarettes and downing whiskey shots, had the confidence of decades of survival under any and all circumstances.  “Looking fer som’it, or some _one_ , I’d wager.  Keep those hands where I kin see ‘em darlin’ and turn yerself ‘round, nice an’ slow.”

The gun barrel broke contact with her neck; Patton turned around slowly, keeping her hands shoulder high.  The man she had been looking for stood right in front of her, holding a small, large-bore pistol aimed at her chest.  His face bore a large, semi-circular scar encompassing his right eye, which being paler than the left, was apparently artificial.  A smaller semi-circular scar ran from the bottom of the large scar to a point on his jawbone; there were other smaller scars on his face as well, making him appear even older, more grizzled and world-weary than his approximately seventy-five years.

“Whatchur name, sweetheart?” the scarred man asked.

“Patton… Gunnery Chief Sandra Patton… and I’m _not_ your fuckin’ _darling_ or your goddamned _sweetheart_!”  Slate grey eyes flashed in anger as she asked, “You Massani?”

“Thas’ right, Gunny”, Zaeed grinned at her.  “Now ya foun’ me, tell me why yer lookin’ fer me.”

Patton replied with a question of her own.  “Can I put my hands down?  I have no quarrel with you.  The Alliance needs your help, but you’re probably aware of that already.”

Zaeed motioned for her to drop her hands as he docked his pistol.  “Jus keep ‘em away from yer sidearm, darlin’.  Can’t be too careful these days… never know whatchur gonna run into.  And yeah, Massani’s ma name.”  Pointing to the Navy insignia on her chest, he asked, “Which ship?”

“ _SSV Shanghai_ … heavy cruiser.  Reapers got the Arcturus relay working.  Several frigates in this system now as well.”  Patton saw no reason to muddy the waters by telling him how the _Shanghai_ had _really_ returned to the system, docked inside a damned Reaper.  She carefully reached into a pocket and retrieved a comlink.  Holding it out to Massani, she said, “Captain of one of the frigates, the _Stalingrad,_ would like to speak with you. He’s willing to set the ship down close by, meet you on the hanger ramp in person.”

Zaeed studied her as she waited, hand held out with the earpiece in plain view.  “Only place close enuff an’ big enuff to put a goddam’ ship o’ _that_ size down is ‘cross river, upstream o’ here… old sports center… hafta land with tha’ nose hung over the water.”

“Tell him,” Patton said, holding the earpiece between thumb and forefinger.  “Frequency’s pre-set, can’t be changed.

Zaeed studied her for several seconds as he weighed his options. Heaving a sigh, he reached out, taking the earpiece from her fingers as he muttered, “I’m probably gonna regret this…”

* * *

*** ABOARD IRINGÙ-EßIZKUR ***

Iringù-Eßizkur had just finished updating Liara T’Soni regarding their position relative to the turian home system of Trebia when Rachaél Shepard’s image slowly coalesced beside her personal terminal.  “We need to talk, Liara.”

“Shepard… of course.  Iringù-Eßizkur, would you please excuse us?”

› _As you wish, Doctor T’Soni **.**_ ‹  The lights indicating Iringù-Eßizkur’s presence dimmed and went out.

“Liara, I had a talk with Žiuk’Durmah about my lack of trust concerning… well… our former enemies.  I have to say, I really don’t like…”  Shepard raised her hands to indicate all that was around her image, “… you trusting your life to this Reaper keeping its word.  What if it’s lying?  What if they’re all lying?”  Rachaél’s voice hitched as she continued, “Dammit, I died fighting these bastards.  Harbinger killed me!”

“He didn’t, actually,” Liara was quick to point out.  “As seriously as you were injured, you _might_ have survived, Shepard.  Your death wasn’t assured until you threw yourself into the energy stream on board the Citadel.  Your choice resulted in the survival of _everyone_ else, organic _and_ synthetic.” The asari studied Rachaél’s image intently as she asked, “Why bring this up now?”

“I vowed I would never trust them, Liara.  I made a vow, goddammit!  My original plan was to kick everyone off the _Normandy_ when we arrived at Palaven.  I was going to use the entire ship as a weapon, use it to kill Harbinger.”  Shepard began pacing the small area, just as if she were physically there.  “Now, all he can talk about… all _any_ of the bastards can talk about is finding a cloned body for me.  They have Miranda Lawson for info on where to look… they even have _you_ looking!  How am I supposed to reconcile my lust for revenge with the logic of their merged organic/synthetic intelligence?  I feel… dammit!… I’m no better than Javik, am I?”

“You know that’s not true, Shepard!  Javik is the last of his race… _his_ viewpoint has validity for _him_ alone.  Your are _not_ the last survivor of _your_ race!  We all live because of _your choice_.” Liara paused, biting her lip as she thought of how best to end this discussion on a positive note. “You _will_ live again, Rachaél, of that I _am_ certain… not in the virtual world of a computer core on the _Normandy_ , but in the real world, in a physical body, with me at your side!  Javik has none of his race to talk with to help him change his opinion, and he will not listen to any of us…,” Liara moved to stand within centimeters of Rachaél’s projection, “… while you… you have _me_ … you have _every_ one on the _Normandy_.  We all _love_ you Shepard, and we most certainly are _not_ going to leave you behind.  You _are_ capable of revising your opinion of the Reapers, Repositories, Guardians, whatever you wish to call them.  You can choose the path you wish to take.  Have faith in _us_ , Rachaél.  Have faith in _me_ … in my love for you.”

Shepard was at a loss for words, a rarity for her.  When she finally did speak, her voice was quiet, reflective.  “Okay Li.  I’ll make it a priority to reconsider my opinions, my attitudes concerning the Reapers.  You and Garrus taking up residence within one of these abominations is something I’m having a great deal of difficulty in accepting.  Not being able to accompany you is even more difficult.  I’ll continue to evaluate my position until we reach the Apien Crest.  I’ll talk to you again before we leave Žiuk’Durmah.”

“Very well, Rachaél.”

Shepard’s image dissolved in a swirl of colored pixels like a small tornado in reverse, a style of departure at which she had become quite proficient.

Liara waited half a minute to be sure Shepard had really left before touch activating the virtual switch on her personal terminal.  “Iringù-Eßizkur, please respond.”

The response from the speakers at the terminal was immediate.  › _What may I do for you, T’Soni Doctor?_ ‹

“Did you monitor any of the conversation I just had with Commander Shepard?”

› _I did not.   Per our agreement, Shadow Broker business is not within the purview of my responsibilities, Liara T’Soni.  Should I have contravened my pledge to you?_‹

“No, Iringù-Eßizkur, you did as we agreed.  I am worried about Shepard.  While I do not believe she is unstable, her apparent inability to view Reapers as more than an enemy to be destroyed at all costs is troublesome.  It’s almost as if…,” Liara caught herself before she voiced the thought.

› _…your incomplete statement betrays your thou ghts, Liara.  You feel she may have the same feelings as the Prothean being cared for by Žiuk’Durmah._‹

“By the goddess, Iringù-Eßizkur!” Liara said heatedly.  “How can you know that?  Do your abilities extend to melding?  Are you telling us the truth about being no longer able to influence organic minds?”

› _Doctor T’Soni!   I have **never** been less than honest with you, or any of the other people I have been in contact with since arrivin g with supplies for the turian and quarian on board Normandy-frigate._‹  The background musical traits of Iringù-Eßizkur’s ‘voice’ now sounded ominous, the vocal tone had taken on a disturbing quality, as if Liara’s doubts were an insult to the integrity of the organically hybridized intelligence.  › _I reco gnize the fear you must feel at having to deal so closely with an unknown entity.  Do you not think I feel trepidation at dealing with organics on such a personal basis? _‹

“My apologies, Iringù-Eßizkur.  I am simply nervous about our arrangement.  Nothing like this has _ever_ been attempted.”  Liara raised her hands above her head to indicate everything around her.  “I want this to work, for my sake, for the sake of our future relations, but most importantly, I want this to work for Rachaél.”

Iringù-Eßizkur’s ‘voice’ returned to its normal quality, the musical sub-tones becoming lighter as she answered, › _As do I, Doctor T’Soni.   We will get through this, and will find the answers that all are searching for._‹

* * *

*** SSV HONG KONG II • HANGER DECK, PORT SIDE MED BAY ***

Doctor Phelps gently removed the bandages from Miranda Lawson’s face, revealing a colorless orb in her left eye socket, the function of which was to help maintain the lubricity of the eye socket and inside of her eyelids until a replacement eye could be implanted; her eyelids were healing nicely… the bruising and swelling had diminished to near normal color and contour, nearly matching those on the right.  Additionally, the scars resulting from the surgery to her cheekbones were healing well, particularly on the left side of her face, thanks in no small part to the skill Doctor Phelps employed in gaining access to the bones underlying the skin, as well as the synthetic nanites coursing through her blood.

Miranda requested a mirror so she could see her face, having been denied access to such since her rescue.  Xiùlán procured a small hand mirror for her and gently took her hand as Lawson had the first real look at the damages inflicted on her by her captors on Earth.

“Better than I expected,” she remarked.  “You did a wonderful job, Doctor Phelps.”  Looking at her hair, she said to Xiùlán, “May I have a hairbrush, please?

Xiùlán found the requested item, handed it to her, then held the mirror for her as she brushed her short mop of hair.  “Quite a bit shorter than before, huh?”

“It looks good on you, Miranda,” Xiùlán remarked.  “It’ll make it easier for you to wear the accessory Doctor Phelps has for you.”

Doctor Phelps moved behind Miranda and said, “Miss Lawson, I need you to wear this eye patch anytime you’re not sleeping… it’ll help protect your eye socket and the protective orb.  And, there’s a bonus.”  He gently placed the patch over her eye before setting the elastic band around her head. She finished settling it into place and brushed her hair a bit more to cover it, than looked up at the doctor.

“Bonus?”

Doctor Phelps gave her the mirror and told her to watch.  “There’s an extremely small reservoir built into this thing, filled with medigel.  Tiny actuator here…,” he indicated the exact center of the patch, “… just needs a light touch for it to spray a micro amount of medigel into your ‘eye’. Use it for discomfort only.  There’s enough for about six or seven apps.”

“What about all the fresh cuts you added to her face, Doc?” Xiùlán wanted to know. “Shouldn’t those be covered?”

“Normally, I’d say ‘yes’, but that was before Shepard merged us with those miserable machines.  Having the bandages off will accelerate healing, thanks to the nanites in her blood.  You’ll need to avoid getting into any fist fights,” he grinned at Miranda, “but I expect Xiùlán isn’t going to let you get into any trouble, isn’t that correct, Commander?”

Smiling, she replied, “We’re going to stay so far from trouble it’ll have to get assistance from Avina to find us.”  She stood and motioned for Miranda to do the same.  “Speaking of trouble, we gotta go see the captain.  Thanks, Doc.”

* * *

*** SSV HONG KONG II • DECK TWO, CAPTAIN’S and XO’S OFFICES ***

Cody was reviewing the ship’s readiness reports, something that would normally be done by his XO. _‘Don’t know how in hell she deals with this!’_ he thought. _‘Has to be the most boring bunch of crap I’ve ever had the displeasure of reading!’_

The sound of a chime interrupted his thoughts and ( _thankfully!_ ) his reading. “Cody,” he answered.

 _“Captain, the XO and Miss Lawson just left the Med Bay,”_ Corporal Vic reported.   _“Looks like they’re on their way up to see you.”_

“How you coming with Yuán’s armor?”

 _“First one’s done… ’bout halfway through the second.  I have all the rest of her new gear down here with me, Sir.”_ Vic replied.   _“I’ll bring it all up soon as I’m finished with the second armored top.”_

Okay, Corporal.  I’m wearing my comlink.  Send a tone to my personal address when you’re on your way up.  I’ll stall them until…” the trilling of his access hatch lock interrupted him. “…you send me a second tone to indicate you’re out of her quarters.  Make it quick as you can, Corporal.”

The _‘Aye aye, Sir’_ could still be heard in the room as he unlocked the hatch and stood up behind his desk.  “Miss Lawson.  Commander Yuán. Thanks for coming.  Come in, sit down,” he said, waving at the chairs in front of his desk.  “Can I get either of you anything?  Water, perhaps?”

Miranda glanced at Xiùlán before saying, “Thank you, Captain, but no.  We’re fine.”

Cody glanced at Yuán as he returned to his own chair.  “So Miss Lawson, I have to say, you’re looking a lot better than when I first met you at Huerta Memorial.  Doctor Phelps tells me you should have no lasting physical scars from your misadventures with the Blue Suns.”  Cody paused as he studied her face, then continued softly, “How’s your mental state, Miranda?  Been going to counseling?”

Miranda looked down at her hands, clasped tightly in her lap, before looking up at the woman beside her.  “I’ve had a few sessions with the Alliance psychiatrist, Captain,” she replied, eyes never leaving Xiùlán’s face.  “I’m doing better.”  She looked down again.  “I expect you know what they did to me, how they used me,” she said in a quiet voice.  Not surprisingly to Cody, Xiùlán reached over, took one of Miranda’s hands and squeezed it gently.

“I only know in the most general terms, Miss Lawson.  I read Commander Yuán’s report. Those bastards put you through hell, plain and simple.  I can’t even _begin_ to imagine what that was like for you.  To have those vermin on our home planet…” Cody left the thought unfinished.

“Miranda’s going to be fine, Sir,” Xiùlán said with conviction as she looked at her new friend.  “She’s going to bunk with me while the _HK2_ is docked.  I’m going to be pulling desk duty for a few weeks,” she said as she made a point of looking at the datapads scattered on Cody’s desk. “From the look of things, not a minute too soon for a certain Captain,” she finished with a smirk.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you, how do you keep your sanity reading this stuff?”  Cody asked as he waved a hand over the datapads.  “This is without a doubt the _most_ boring part of life on an Alliance ship!”

“Just part of an XO’s job, Sir… a job I’ll be happy to relieve you of soon as I can return to my quarters, get settled in?”  She started to rise, as if to leave.

“Not so fast, Commander, not so fast.  Just sit back down,” Cody snarked. _‘Dammit, Vic!  Hurry up!’_ As if in answer to his unspoken thought, a soft tone sounded in his comlink.

Cody rose and reached behind him, retrieving a small case, longer than wide and deep. “I have a present for you, Commander.”  He cleared away a few datapads and set the case down on his desk.

“What’s the occasion, Sir?”

“Call it a late birthday present.  Or an early Christmas present.  Hell, I don’t know.  I saw it… thought you might be able to put it to good use.”

Xiùlán slowly stood, looked down at the case, then around to Miranda, who simply shrugged her shoulders.  Returning her gaze to Cody, she asked, “What did you do?”

“Open it, find out.  I can’t imagine you won’t get a kick out of it,” he said innocently, amused at his own ingenuity with the double-meaning. Another soft tone sounded in his comlink, indicating Corporal Vic had completed his assignment.

Xiùlán picked the case up from the desk, feeling some amazement at its weight.  She sat back down with the case resting across her thighs; finding and releasing the latches, she opened the lid and stared in awe at the contents.  Inside was one of the nicest (and certainly most expensive) surprises she’d ever received.  She looked up at Cody, then back in the case.  Nestled inside, a gleaming _N7 Crusader_ shotgun beckoned to her.

“Officially Commander, it’s property of the ship,” Cody explained, “so if you want to hang on to your _Piranha,_ someone else can utilize this gun.  I sprang for two of them… there’s another down in the armory that Private Vic has _his_ eye on.  This one is yours, Yuán, along with the accessories in the case.  I hope you like it,” he finished with a big grin.

Xiùlán sat speechless as she picked the weapon up and carefully hefted it.  A glint on the frame above the cooling vents caught her eye.  On closer inspection, she could just make out 元秀蘭 - 服務號碼8257-PVG-09186 engraved in the surface, with SSV香港II set below it.  A wave of emotion rolled over her, tightening her throat and bringing moisture to her eyes.  “Dammit, Skipper,” she finally gasped, “this is… is a… a really sweet gift,” before placing a hand over her mouth and squeezing her eyes shut.  “I’m not even… going to… to ask how you found the hanzi characters for my name and the ship’s name.

Cody looked at Miranda as he grinned like a little boy that had just pulled the perfect joke. “Suppose you better take that back to your quarters, then.  I’ll bring these,” indicating the datapads, “along for you to study.”

She carefully set the gun back in its cradle and closed the case as Cody picked up the datapads.

Standing, she hugged the case to her body and turned towards the door; leaving Cody’s office with Miranda close behind, she walked across to her quarters on the port side, nodding to Corporal Vic as she passed him heading for the Captain’s office.  Xiùlán failed to notice Vic turning to join the captain as he tailed them both, arms loaded with ship status reports on the several datapads he carried.

Xiùlán paused at the door to her quarters.  She turned to Miranda and said, “Hold this for me?” as she held out her new shotgun; Miranda carefully took the gun from the commander, grunting as she realized just how heavy the damned thing was.  Xiùlán activated her omnitool and entered her personal ident. code, resulting in the door’s lock changing from red to green and the door segments retracting into the bulkheads.

She waved her arm past the inside edge of the door; this brought the ‘belt-rail’ lights on along with several of the ceiling lights.  Xiùlán retrieved her new gun from Miranda and beckoned her to follow as she walked up to her desk.  Propping the gun case upright between the wall and the desk support, she turned and looked at Cody, asking as she motioned to the stack of packages on her desk, “Any idea what all this is, Sir?

“Not a clue, Staff Commander.”  Cody was having a great deal of difficulty keeping a straight face.  “Perhaps _you_ should take a look?”

Turning back to the stack, she picked up the first package and pulled off the protective wrapping to reveal three short-sleeve, combat ready undershirts.  Xiùlán noted they were exactly her size, including… _wángbā dàn!_  She turned back towards Cody and said, “How in hell did you manage to get my shirt size, Sir, _including_ my bra size?”

“Wasn’t that difficult, XO.”  In spite of his best efforts Cody grinned mischievously.  “Had the sample Doc Phelps cut off your body in Huerta Memorial; it’s lying on your bed if you’d like to have a look.  Damned tough material… hope these three are as good or better than that one.  Oh, and I received confirmation of your bra size from a certain chief warrant officer… a specialist, on the _Normandy?_ … she sent the… what did you call them?… hanzi?… characters for your name and the name of this ship as well.  She also said you _really_ hate surprises.”

Xiùlán looked the shirt over closely, inside and out.  She suddenly realized just how much respect… and yes, gāisǐ de, love, her captain had for her when she spotted a small tag sewn into the bottom seam.  It read ‘SPECTRE GEAR’ in blood red letters. She inspected the front of the shirt again and spotted the ‘ALLIANCE NAVY’ badge embroidered just above the right breast cup.  She gripped it by the shoulders as she held it up in front of her body, turned around and said, “I don’t know what to say, Sir.  ‘Thank you’ doesn’t _begin_ to cover _this_ , not by a long shot!  Three of these?  One of them probably costs a month’s pay!   _Three_ , Sir?”  Departing from protocol, she finished in a shy voice with, “Thank you, Bill.  I _really_ appreciate this, more than you’ll _ever_ know.”

“Probably ought to try it on, Commander,” Miranda suggested.  “Wouldn’t want it too tight across, well, your chest,” she finished as she looked down at her own blouse.

Xiùlán walked around her desk back to her sleeping area, waved her omnitool at the partition to change the plastisteel panels from clear to opaque, then replaced her duty shirt and bra with the new undershirt.  She noticed the support built into the bra cups was quite firm, but not uncomfortable.  The fit overall was extremely good, maybe even better than the shirt the doctor had cut off of her.  Changing the wall panels back to clear, she walked out to murmurs of approval from Cody and Vic.  Miranda just grinned. “No sexism in _this_ navy, is there?” she snarked.  “How’s the fit?”

“Like a glove.  Couldn’t have done better myself if I’d been there to try it on.”

“That’s a _good_ thing, Commander,” Vic said.  “Captain has something else for you to try on.”

Xiùlán looked at Cody.  “Something else, Sir?”  She looked back at her desk and discovered the package containing the undershirts had been hiding another package. She slid the shirts aside; tears appeared without warning as she picked up a long-sleeved armored outer shirt with a hard-shell weapons dock/shield generator assembly already attached and preconfigured.  Without waiting for Cody to prompt her, she slid the shirt over her head and plunged her arms through the sleeves, feeling the fabric shrink slightly to hug her torso and arms like a second skin as she adjusted and centered it on her body.  There was an Alliance Navy insignia on the right side, just above where her anterior ablative armor would ride when she installed _that_.  “Fits perfectly, Sir.  How do I look?”

Cody retrieved her new weapon case; removing the _Crusader_ , he tossed it across the desk to her and snarked, “Like you need to hang a gun across your butt, Commander.”

Xiùlán collapsed the shotgun and attached it to the crosswise dock at her back.  She performed two 180 degree turns, looked at Cody and said, “Ready to go pound some heads, Sir.”

“All in good time, Yuán, all in good time.  We,” indicating himself and the corporal, “are going to leave so you can change back into your duty uniform, get Miranda settled in a bit, even give her a tour of the ship.  I want Vic to accompany you when you head down to that tailor, make sure you two don’t run into any trouble.”  Cody paused, then continued, “We’ll get you and Vic some simulator time so you can start getting used to the new shotguns.  I’m told it’s really great as a long-range weapon… almost as good as a sniper rifle.  Great headshot weapon, too.  We’ll talk later… come on, Vic.  Let’s see what other trouble we can get up to before you need to accompany the commander and Miss Lawson…”

* * *

 *** EARTH • GREAT** **BRITAIN, CITY of LONDON ***

Captain Zackary Martinez had ‘parked’ the _SSV Stalingrad_ at an old sports complex upriver from the location where Gunnery Chief Sandra Patton had encountered Zaeed Massani (or he had encountered her).  Patton had accompanied him aboard a shuttle (staring down the barrel of his pistol throughout the short hop), then walked beside him for thirty-five meters as he approached the deployed hanger ramp of the _Stalingrad_ , the ship’s mass virtually negated by its eezo core, riding the ‘station-keeping’ thrusters keeping the ship’s bow hanging over the murky Thames.  Martinez stood at the bottom edge of the ramp, hands on his hips as he waited for the grizzled old veteran to approach within conversational range.

“Massani, I’m Zackary Martinez, captain of this vessel.  Your reputation precedes you, sir… it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Never mind da goddamned pleasantries, Cap’n.” Zaeed replied.  “You gone ter a lot o’ fuckin’ trouble ter fin’ me, so jus’ say wha’s on yer mind, then.”

Ignoring Massani’s apparent lack of friendliness, Martinez replied, “I’m sure you’ve heard the Alliance is looking to put the Blue Suns out of business.  We’d like your help, and are willing to pay for intel that will help us… real intel, Massani, intel we can confirm.  We know a bit of your history with Vido Santiago.  You help us find him, we’ll leave you and him alone in a room together.”  Martinez smiled.  He could see Massani’s interest had been piqued.  “Help us find him, _and_ Solem Dal’serah.  Both of them are wanted, dead or alive.  Need to cut the head’s off this snake in order to have half a chance of bringin’ the lot of ‘em down.”

“Thas a tall order, Cap’n.  The Suns ain’t gonna go down easy, and cuttin’ tha ‘eads offen tha snake won’t stop ‘em – might slow ‘em down a bit, but ‘nother snake ‘ill pop ‘is ‘ead up to fill _that_ void.”

Still, Zaeed was intrigued.  With the Reapers no longer a threat, the merc gangs, particularly the Blue Suns, had made themselves attractive targets for the Alliance.  “Say I decide ter join up wit’ ya.  Whas innit fer me?”

Martinez had him.  “We’ll pay your going rate, less a percentage for… room and board.  I guarantee it’ll be no less than you’re making now, and probably more, plus you won’t have to be looking over your shoulder while your on this, or any other Alliance vessel.  You served with Commander Shepard aboard the _Normandy_.”  Martinez paused as Massani scowled at the memory.  “I understand she wouldn’t allow you to incinerate a bunch of innocent people in order to kill Santiago.  Same sort of situation arises today, results for you will be the same.  We won’t allow the deaths of innocents to facilitate your revenge.”

“Then why in ‘ell should I come wit’ ya?”

“Because this will be the best chance you have of achieving your goal.  We both want the same thing… Vido Santiago dead.  Bill Cody on the _Hong Kong II_ wants his head on a pike, and I want to help facilitate that.  I’m putting this ship back in orbit.  Your comlink will be monitored.  You have twenty-four hours to make a decision… call us with a yes or no.  Gunnery Chief Patton will give you a ride back across the river, but we’ll let you walk most of the way, just in case anyone’s watching.  There’ll be a few marines in the area, so it’ll appear we’re still looking.”  Martinez touched his own comlink, whispered a command, then repeated, “Twenty-four hours, Massani,” as the ship’s main thrusters engaged, turbo-pumps emitting their signature shrill whine, increasing in volume and intensity as they spooled up to operational speed.  As the ship eased up from the sandy soil, Martinez waved from the retracting ramp; the _Stalingrad_ ascended forty-five meters straight up, pointed its bow skyward and departed rapidly to the northeast.

Zaeed watched the ship until just the faintest dot of blue from the four engines was all that could be seen.  “Mr. Massani?”  A feminine voice beside him interrupted his thoughts.  “Come on, I’ll give you a lift back.”

Zaeed looked at the gunnery chief and grinned.  “Okay, sweetheart, le’s get outa ‘ere.”

Sandra simply frowned, shook her head and began walking back to the shuttle.

 


	40. Joesiar Gets Caught

_Our bodies have five senses: touch, smell, taste, sight, hearing.  But not to be overlooked are the senses of our souls: intuition, peace, foresight, trust, empathy.  The differences between people lie in their use of these senses; most people don't know anything about the inner senses while a few people rely on them just as they rely on their physical senses, and in fact probably even more.  -_ C.  JoyBell C

* * *

 *** SSV HONG KONG II • COMMANDER YUÁN XIÙLÁN’S QUARTERS *  
** **\- 0645 -**

Xiùlán woke up slowly, relishing the feel of her own sheets, quilt and pillow, enjoying being in her own bed aboard the _Hong Kong_ once again.  It took several moments to realize she wasn’t alone; a few moments more to remember _why_ she wasn’t alone.  Her bed was quite large for a single berth on a warship; still, there was not a lot of room to spare, which explained why she was sleeping with her back up against Miranda Lawson’s back.  _‘Least_ _I’m not spoonin’ her like I do Sammi’_ , she thought with a touch of guilt.  She hadn’t had _any_ one in her bed, in _any_ bed, since meeting and falling in love with Samantha Traynor on Earth’s moon; it felt strange to be sharing her bed with another person.

She gently pushed the covers back and eased herself up to sit on the mattress edge, being careful to keep her back straight.  She cautiously stretched, then stood with a grimace as her feet came firmly in contact with the cold metal of the deck; she took two steps into the ‘closet’ by her bed, actually the compartment for her toilet and sink.

After relieving her bladder, she pulled off her sleep shirt, applied the medicated moisturizer to the scar tissue on her left thigh and the scarred skin on her butt, washed her hands and face, brushed her teeth, then opened the door and moved into her ‘office’ area to get dressed… fresh panties – a ‘g’-string, in point of fact – therapeutic underpants, new combat undershirt.  Pulling the leather tie from her pony tail, she carefully bent forward at the waist, flipped her long hair over to hang in front of her and brushed through it several times; straightening, she grabbed the length at the base of her neck and retied it.  More awake now, she stretched again, performed her deep breathing exercises and began her Tai Chi movements.  She’d nearly completed her routine twice when a soft voice called from her sleep area, “Morning… what’s the time?”

Miranda had awakened, no doubt because her backside had become chilled without the heat from Xiùlán’s body.

“Good morning yourself… it’s oh-seven-ten.  How’d you sleep?” Xiùlán inquired.

“Wonderful… _super,_ really.  Your bed is _so_ much more comfortable than hospital beds,” Miranda replied, than added in a self-conscious voice, “Having company helps.”

Xiùlán ignored the last comment as she finished her routine and said, “You can take your time getting up… I have to attend a staff meeting on the hanger deck at oh-nine-hundred.  Captain needs to talk to all of us about his plans, I guess.  But first… ,” Xiùlán walked over to the bed and sat beside Miranda, “… let me look at your face before you get up.”  Xiùlán gently touched the still healing cuts on Miranda’s cheeks, inspected her eyelid, then said, “Can you open your left eye for me?”

Miranda did as requested, allowing Xiùlán to inspect the blank orb residing in her eye socket.  Grabbing a tube of medicated ointment, she placed a tiny amount under Lawson’s lower eyelid and instructed, “Blink your eyes a couple times to spread that medicine.  Once you have your face washed and hair brushed, I’ll help you put your eye patch on.  We’re going for a stroll on the Citadel… can’t have my crew member looking less than professional,” she finished with a big smile.

Miranda returned her smile.  “How do I thank you, Xiùlán, for all you’ve done… all you’re still doing?” she asked thoughtfully.  “I know the Alliance wants my help finding Cerberus resources, but you personally?   You’ve gone way beyond what needed doing to rescue me and take care of my injuries, and I really doubt you’ve _ever_ shared this bed with _any_ one.”

Xiùlán looked at Miranda for several seconds, then did the one thing Miranda least expected… she pulled her upright and hugged her tight, whispering in her ear, “You’re not alone, Miri… and ‘thanks’ are not really necessary.  Wǒ shì nǐ de péngyǒu, mǐlán dá.  [我是你的朋友，米蘭達].  Wǒ guānxīn fāshēng zài nǐ”.  [我關心發生在你]  Xiùlán loosened her hug slightly so she could look into Miranda’s eyes.  “In Galactic?” she said, still whispering.  “I am your friend, Miranda… I care about what happens to you.”  Xiùlán gently kissed her on the forehead and released her.  “Come on… there’s time for breakfast, if you like.”

Miranda gave no indication of being surprised by Xiùlán’s actions, but truthfully?   She was deeply touched by this woman’s sincerity.  No one but Rachaél had _ever_ treated her as if she truly mattered.  Miranda was beginning to see why Captain Cody… hell, the entire crew of this ship… held Xiùlán in such high esteem.  She eased herself out of bed and stepped into the small bathroom as the commander finished getting dressed.

* * *

 *** EARTH • GREAT** **BRITAIN, CITY of LONDON ***

Zaeed Massani had spent several hours in the pub below his apartment, smoking cheap cigarettes and pondering his future while downing whiskey shots.  He had tracked Vido Santiago all over the terminus for twenty years, twenty miserable fuckin’ _years!_ … finally found the slippery bastard… actually came within a whisker of venting his head with a bullet.

It had all come to naught when Commander goddamned bloody Shepard stopped him.  For all Zaeed knew, Shepard quite easily could have been a man… her more obvious feminine attributes may have simply been window dressing.  He’d never seen her in physically revealing clothing, so how else to explain the amount of muscle behind the fist with which she’d clocked him on Zorya?  Her combat armor hadn’t been equipped with any musculature enhancements that _he_ could see.  Cerberus had spent two years rebuilding her… perhaps the Illusive Man had the techs cross her body with some big-assed Marine when they brought her back; would certainly explain the apparent size of the bollocks he believed were hangin’ down between her legs.  He chuckled in spite of himself as he visualized Shepard, the hero of the goddamned galaxy, as some kind of cobbled together Frankensteinian morphodite.

Ah well, that was all water under the bridge now.  The important thing was having another chance… the chance to shove the business end of a gun up Vido’s nose and pull the trigger, courtesy of the Systems Alliance.  Now _there_ was a piece of good luck!  The bloody Alliance was going to sanction the hunt.  Zaeed would be able to kill the goddamned sonovabitch without having to worry about covering his tracks.  What a sweet deal!

He downed his last shot, stubbed out his cigarette and headed upstairs to his small apartment.  He figured he’d call the _Stalingrad’s_ captain in the morning, as he locked his door then stripped down to take a shower and shave… might as well get cleaned up while he still had access to a plentiful supply of fresh hot water.  Based on what he’d seen of the _Stalingrad,_ the ship was not nearly as large as the _SR-2 Normandy_ , and certainly would have very limited guest accommodations.

Thinking about the _Normandy_ brought back a few good memories… the galley, the armory, conversations with that turian, what’in’ell was his name?… Vakarian, yeah, Garrus Vakarian… ’ell of a soldier.  Zaeed thought about the big bastard as he washed his thinning grey hair, then soaped and rinsed the rest of his scarred, wiry body.  He had a lot in common with that turian… not many people of any race could live to tell the tale after taking a rocket to the face.  _‘Wonder if ‘e survived the war… where ‘e is now,’_ Zaeed thought as he rinsed, turned the shower off and dried himself.  Thinking, _‘Probably on the_ _Normandy when Shepard pulled the plug on the Reapers,’_ he wondered what had happened to the _Normandy_?  Lots of rumors, no hard facts, at least nothing the Alliance would publicly confirm.  Perhaps he’d be able to find out once onboard an Alliance vessel.

Massani pulled on clean underwear.  After lathering his face, he stropped his ancient old straight razor and set to work removing the stubble, then set out his campaign gear.  He’d be wearing armor and weapons when he set foot on the _Stalingrad_.  No point in letting those Alliance types think he was just another passenger.  After packing his few meager belongings, he sat in the broken down old arm chair, turned the lamp off and looked out the windows at the street below.  As his eye adjusted to the darkness, he scanned for movement, anything that did not belong or was out of place.  He thought he saw something… a person perhaps, dressed in dark clothing, partially hidden in shrubbery at the corner.  He waited for a bit, looking away, then back at the shrubbery, just to determine if his mind (or his eye), was playing tricks on him.  Zaeed was paranoid even in the best of times, and he considered _these_ days to be the worst of times.  He picked up ‘Jessie’, sighted through her scope and found the target.

Dark armor, Alliance insignia over the right breast, visored helmet… well, now.  Looked to Zaeed as if the Alliance, in the person of Gunnery Chief Sandra Patton, was keeping him under discrete surveillance.  Massani chuckled to himself as he set his old M-8 down beside him.  Probably making sure he wasn’t going to relocate before they knew if he was going to join the hunt.

Deciding to turn in, he set the bedside chrono to chime at 0700.  May as well get a good night’s sleep, have a bite to eat in the morning, then ring up Martinez on the _Stalingrad_.  Might even invite the ‘gunny’ to breakfast… she’d probably be _ready_ to eat after a night spent standing around in the cold fog rolling in from the nearby river.

* * *

*** APIEN CREST ***

Žiuk’Durmah had sensor confirmation… the huge Repository was entering the region of space containing the Apien Crest, a giant cloud of gases in brilliant reds and pale whites, tinged with bits of purple and ruddy browns.  Three star systems resided within the slowly swirling clouds… Žiuk’Durmah was approaching from the ‘southwest’ in order to avoid the majority of the gas cloud surrounding the Gemmae star system, which he would bypass on his way to Trebia, the system containing the turian homeworld of Palaven, along with the now repaired Mass Relay linking to Charon (for the first time in the existence of the relays) and the Widow System relay near the Citadel.

The ancient machine engaged his relay navigation sub-routines, requesting the Trebia system relay to rotate and yaw its position in order to align itself for his arrival; at the velocity he was traveling, he would arrive in less than three days.  As he ran the navigation sub-routines, he initiated and slaved a portion of the nav-core to compute navigation within the system… not nearly as complex, but he would need to come to a virtual stop well out of the way of any relay traffic in order to allow _Normandy-frigate_ and Iringù-Eßizkur to leave.  Žiuk’Durmah would not enter Palaven’s orbit unless requested; he calculated he would need to follow _Normandy-frigate_ to the Citadel.  It was time to talk to Shepard-Normandy and T’Soni-Doctor.

* * *

 *** EARTH • GREAT** **BRITAIN, CITY of LONDON *  
****– 0735, NEXT MORNING –**

Gunnery Chief Patton had the heater in her suit turned up almost all the way, and was still feeling the cool fingers of fog swirling around her surveillance location. _‘Don’t know why in hell I had to spend the entire night out her watching the damned building while that old_ _fossil slept in a comfortable bed’_ , she pouted to herself.  The thought had barely left her head when a gravelly voice behind her said, “Mornin’, darlin’.  Wee bit cold, are we?”

Mortified at being taken by surprise a second time in less than twenty-four hours, Sandra spun around to see the cocky grin of Zaeed Massani, dressed for battle with assault and sniper rifles each docked on his back-plate, pistol docked on his hip.

“Told you yesterday,” she huffed, “I am _not_ your fuckin’ _darling!”_

Massani’s grin widened as he replied, “Whatever you say, sweetheart.  Would you care for a spot o’breakfst and some ‘ot tea?  Warm up the bones before I call the _Stalingrad?”_

She was going to decline until he added, “My treat?”

Deciding it’d be a lot easier to keep track of the wily old bounty hunter while seated across from him having breakfast than waiting around out here in the chilly fog, she nodded and said, “Lead the way, then.”  She activated her comm-link and told her other team members to wait in the shuttle as she moved to follow Zaeed back to the Six Bells.

* * *

 *** SSV _HONG KONG II_ • HANGER DECK *  
** **\- 0905 -**

Captain William Cody stood in front of his crew, standing at ease together inside the hanger deck.  Every crew member was here… Marines standing in a group together on the port side, naval personnel together on the starboard side.  Those ‘on duty’ personnel whose jobs were critical to the safe operation of the _Hong Kong II,_ even while docked, had been temporarily relieved of those duties by substitutes brought over from the _Orizaba_ on orders of Admiral Hackett, who was standing to the left of and slightly behind Cody.

Cody nodded almost imperceptibly and smiled as Lieutenant Cross took four steps forward, spun 180° on his heel to face the crew and said loudly “ _Hong Kong_ personnel, come to attention!” as he himself followed suit.  This command was immediately obeyed, the heels of boots and shoes echoing in the hanger as everyone moved simultaneously to stand ramrod straight, eyes directly ahead, arms stiffly at sides.  Commander Yuán Xiùlán had complied as well, surprised as she was that Cross had been selected to give the order.  For his part, Lieutenant Cross took four marching steps back to his previous position beside her, executed a 180° turn to again face the captain and reported, “Officers and crew of the _SSV Hong Kong_ all present and accounted for, Sir.”

“Very good, Lieutenant.”  Cody was truly looking forward to what was about to happen, but didn’t betray anything as he said in a stern voice, “Staff Commander Yuán Xiùlán, step forward for inspection.”

Xiùlán complied, marching forward to stand at attention one meter in front of her captain.  She was trying to decide what the hell she had done to merit the attention of the entire ship’s complement, and didn’t understand why she, and she alone, had been required to wear dress blues for this meeting.  All this ran through her mind in an instant as she saluted and said, “Staff Commander Yuán Xiùlán, reporting as ordered, Sir.”

Cody returned her salute and said, “Stand easy, Staff Commander,” loud enough for all to hear.  Turning to his left, he looked at Admiral Hackett, asking in a stage whisper, “Sure you don’t wish to do the honors, Sir?

Hackett grinned as he replied, “Your boat, William.  Your XO got you into this.  I just signed the paperwork.”  He offered a plaque to Cody.  “She’s all yours.”

Xiùlán was getting nervous.  _‘Gǎo shénme guǐ?’_ [搞什麼鬼？- What the hell?]

Cody took the plaque from the admiral, fished around in his jacket pockets until he found the small, blue velvet covered case, then looked at his XO.  “Staff Commander Yuán Xiùlán, for services performed in leading a team to rescue a civilian from brutal captivity by the Blue Suns terrorist organization and keeping said civilian from harm during subsequent attempts on her life, the Systems Alliance is awarding you this… ,” Cody handed Xiùlán the engraved plaque Hackett had had made on the Citadel, which she gingerly accepted, “… commendation for the reasons stated thereon.  Further, the Systems Alliance is awarding you the Navy’s Medal of Valor for your actions.” 

Cody, still at attention, held the small box in front of her; bottom in left hand, top in right, he opened the lid for her inspection before carefully removing the medal from its case.  He approached, handed her the now empty case, then deftly attached the ribboned medal to her jacket just above her left breast.  Having to place his left hand inside the front of a woman’s dress jacket usually didn’t bother him, but the woman standing in front of him wasn’t just another crew member.  _‘Managed to do that without embarrassing myself,’_ he thought to himself as he stepped back and spoke loud enough for everyone to hear, “Congratulations, Staff Commander.”

Xiùlán saluted Cody, who quickly returned the salute before offering his hand, which she took with a smile that lit her entire face.  “Thank you, Sir.”

Cody motioned to Hackett, who moved to stand beside the captain.  Taking her free hand in both of his, he smiled and said, “Well done, Yuán… well done.”  Glancing at Cody, he added, “Both of you come see me on the Orizaba tomorrow.  We need to talk about our future plans.”  Hackett pumped Xiùlán’s hand, then let her go.  Someone in the back of the assembled crew began clapping… this quickly spread to everyone.  She turned to face them, which only caused the applause to grow to a thunderous intensity, echoing from the metal walls of the hanger bay.  None were clapping harder than Lieutenant Cross and Miranda Lawson, who had moved to stand in Xiùlán’s place next to Cross.  Corporal Vic, standing with the Marine contingent on the port side of the bay, could barely contain himself.

She stood in front of them, hands behind her holding her plaque, looking at each of them as she waited for the applause to die.  When all was quiet once again, she spoke softly, beginning in the language of the land of her birth.  “Wǒ shēn gǎn róngxìng… ,” [我深感榮幸…,] she paused to get her emotions in check before continuing, “… I am deeply honored… , to serve on this ship alongside each and every one of you, as a member of the Systems Alliance Navy.”  Xiùlán paused, taking a moment to bring the plaque up in front of her.  Holding it to her chest, she added, “Receiving this citation… this medal?  It’s humbling, because it wouldn’t be a reality without the backing of every person on this vessel.”  She closed her eyes in an effort to hold back the tears.

Pulling herself together, she looked over everyone’s head, continuing with, “I would like all of you to please… take a few moments… to honor the memory of Marine Private Charles Hamilton.  He gave his last full measure of devotion in an ultimately successful effort to repel a Blue Suns attack in Huerta Memorial Hospital.  That he was murdered in cold blood by a physician makes his loss that much more painful to me; this medal belongs to him as well.  He will be missed… he will _not_ be forgotten.”  Xiùlán fell silent and directed her gaze at the deck in front of her feet.

Looking up again after a half-minute of total silence, she said, “Xièxiè… Thank you so much for being here today.”  Looking over her shoulder, she said, “Captain?”

Cody smiled and replied, “You may dismiss, Staff Commander.”

Xiùlán turned back to the crew, shouting in her best drill instructor voice, “Attenn… _Shunn_!” as she came to attention herself; after a two count, she finished with “Dissss _… Misssstt!”_

As she relaxed and looked at her plaque, Lieutenant Cross moved to stand in front of her.  He offered his hand as he said, “Congratulations, Commander.  It’s great to have you back aboard… you’ve _really_ been missed… ,” he paused, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment, before awkwardly adding, “… by everyone!”

“Thank you, Lieutenant,” she replied.  “It’s good to be back, even if it’s only to fly my desk for a bit.”  She heard someone behind her quietly clear their throat; it was no surprise to find Corporal Vic and Private Abbott standing behind her… both saluted, then offered their hands in congratulations.  “Vic!  Abbott!  Great to see you, both of you.  Thank you.”

“Cap’n says I’m to accompany you and Ms Lawson on the docks?”  Vic said in a questioning tone.  “What time would you like to go ashore, Ma’am?”

Thinking for a moment, Xiùlán replied with, “I have to change… say, oh-ten-forty-five?”

“You got it Ma’am.  I’ll meet you both at the airlock,” Vic replied.

* * *

 *** INSIDE THE SIX BELLS PUB,** **CITY of LONDON ***

Sandra Patton cupped both hands around her mug and gazed past the rim, watching Zaeed attack a huge plate of eggs (honest-to-god _real_ eggs), scrambled and laced with bits of the bacon that accompanied the dish, pork and leek sausages, black pudding, baked beans and toasted muffins covered in butter… all after having downed a tall Blood Mary ( _“hair of the dog, luv!”)_ ; as she sipped her tea Patton marveled that the old bounty hunter hadn’t long ago succumbed to a fatal heart attack brought on by the amount of cholesterol he was ingesting.  “You always eat this much for breakfast, Massani?” she inquired, more for something to say than any real interest in his health.

Zaeed fixed her with his left eye, glowering at her for a moment before growling back, “Most important meal of the day, darlin’.  Always stoke yer furnace afore ya travel… never know where or when you’ll get another opportunity.”  He bit off a chunk of muffin, followed by a swig of coffee from his oversized mug.

Patton had thought _she_ was eating a huge breakfast… poached eggs, smoked salmon and hollandaise, accompanied by a toasted English muffin, which she used to sop up the bit of egg yolk left on the plate.

The waitress appeared at Massani’s side long enough to place a ‘pint’ of stout on the table in front of him, causing Patton to wonder out loud if the old merc had a hollow leg.

“Like I said, may not get a chance at ‘nother meal fer a day or more.  This lot ‘ere,” he indicated the plates on the table before him, “will take me a long ways a’fore I’m lookin’ ta eat again.”  He finished cleaning his plate with the last of the muffin, sucked the half-litre of stout down in a single go, then polished off his coffee.  Leaning back in his chair, he let out a satisfied belch, grabbed a toothpick from the dispenser and went after the bits of sausage casing flotsam stuck between various teeth.

“Really, Massani?  You’re just _trying_ to make me puke, aren’t you?” Patton asked in a tone suggesting revulsion.  “With the exception of your prodigious capacity for food and drink, you don’t impress me.  I grew up with brothers… two older, one younger.  If there’s _any_ thing disgusting a male can do, I’ve seen it, heard it, smelled it or all three together!”

“Just bein’ myself, sweetie,” the old merc smirked from around his toothpick “No different than any other day.  And I could just as easily have farted.” 

“I’m glad I never met any women that’d be comfortable with you as a mate, then,” she snarked back.  Looking at the clock on the wall, she changed the subject.  “We’d better get going.  Your twenty-four hour window is almost done.  You going to call the _Stalingrad_?”

“In a minute.  Gotta settle my bill.”  The old merc pushed back from the table and stood up; after stretching his arms over his head, he moved to the counter at the door, spoke to the woman there, handed her some credits, looked back at Patton, then turned and went out the door.

Patton followed swiftly, bursting through the door less than a second after it closed behind him, only to discover the old bastard was nowhere to be seen.  “Son _ova_ bitch!” she muttered.  She raised her voice and called out, “Zaeed!”

“Put a cork in it, sweetheart, afore ya disturb the neighbors.”

Sandra spun on her heel to confront the owner of the voice, only to see no one.

“Zaeed?” she inquired quietly.

A person’s outline shimmered a bit in front of her, then resolved itself into Massani.  “So, that’s how you get around unnoticed,” Patton exclaimed.  “Personal cloaking device is pretty high-tech for an old merc like you… been using it long?”

“Long enough… saved my ass more’n’a few times over the past coupla years,” he replied.  “Uses a ‘ellova lot o’juice, so I rely on my own stealth as much as I can.  Still, can’t argue it has its advantages.”

Returning to the business at hand, Massani touched the comlink in his ear.  “ _Stalingrad_.  Zaeed Massani, standing by for transport.”

The voice of Lieutenant Commander Terrence Russo came over the channel.  _“Massani?  This is the Stalingrad.  Gunnery Chief Patton should be on the ground near your location.  Rendezvous with her… she’ll accompany you on the shuttle ride up.”_

“Acknowledged, _Stalingrad_.  Be right up,” Massani replied, surprising Patton with the authority and correctness of his request and reply.  Massani turned to the chief, grinned and said, “Let’s push off, darlin’.”

Shaking her head, Patton turned and headed for the shuttle.

* * *

*** CITADEL • ALLIANCE NAVY DOCKS ***

Miranda Lawson, dressed as a crewman from the _HK2_ , along with Staff Commander Yuán Xiùlán and Marine Corporal Vic, left the docked vessel together and headed for an elevator that would take them down a level to do a bit of shopping and visit a tailor that could alter Miranda’s new blouses.  Of the three, only Vic was dressed in full combat gear with shotgun, pistol and assault rifle; Lawson and Yuán were wearing standard duty uniforms, each of them equipped with a docked sidearm.

Additionally, Miranda was now able to fully utilize her biotics; the unsettling dreams haunting her sleep since her rescue from Blue Suns captivity had diminished to the point where the ship’s doctor felt safe in suspending the use of drugs to keep her amp inoperable.  Though she was still troubled by the multiple beatings and rapes members of the Suns had inflicted on her, regular counseling was helping her get past her recent history as something she was unable to change; she was moving forward with her life, thanks in no small part to her new found friend, Commander Yuán.

The commander had unquestioningly given Miranda a sympathetic, non-judgmental ear to talk to and a strong shoulder to cry on whenever she needed it.  Xiùlán, having led the team that rescued her from the Blue Suns, had witnessed first-hand the conditions of her captivity and had real empathy for what Miranda had suffered at their hands, particularly her abuse by the batarians.

Thinking about batarians caused a dull throb of pain in her left thigh.  Even now, the passage of almost seven years had done little to ease the memories of the nearly unimaginable pain and sickness that had resulted from taking a polonium-coated round fired by a batarian pirate at point-blank range; seven years could not erase the fevered memories of Samantha Traynor’s frantic, over-the-top efforts to save her leg _and_ keep her alive.  Xiùlán’s slight limp, virtually unnoticeable to anyone, became a bit more pronounced as she quietly relived that day in her mind.  Traynor had been her lover before they were even assigned the mission; Sam’s love for her had seemed to grow even stronger during the mission as she struggled to keep Xiùlán alive while awaiting extraction.

As for Miranda, anyone having seen her when she was employed by Cerberus would be hard pressed to recognize her now.  Her formerly voluptuous body was thinner by about ten to eleven kilograms, her luxurious mane of brunette hair had been transformed into a short, military style cut; further, she had, with Xiùlán’s assistance, bleached her hair and eyebrows to a dark blonde color.  Her face was noticeably thinner, the previously perfect skin transformed by the healed scars from beatings during her captivity and the surgical scars left behind by repairs to her eye socket and jaw.  The black eye-patch she was wearing completed her transformation from a raving beauty to a battle-hardened veteran and member of a Systems Alliance frigate… it was doubtful even her so-called father –  had Henry Lawson still been alive – would recognize her now.

“So, Miranda,” Xiùlán said as they strolled the short distance to the elevator, “now that you’ve had the grand tour, what do you think of the _HK2_ ”

Miranda grinned at Xiùlán as she replied, “Larger inside than it appears on the outside… almost as much room as the _SR2 Normandy_ , except for the lack of a loft.  It’s a nice improvement over the original _Hong Kong_ … any chance it’ll be the standard for new construction?”

“Possibly, but I think the Alliance will be trying to replace the heavies… cruisers and dreadnaughts… before getting around to the frigates.  More cruisers lost during the war than any other class.”  She paused as they stopped together in front of the elevator.  “What’s a ‘loft’, by the way?”

“Captain’s quarters, deck one above the CIC.  Full bathroom, office area, lounge, sleeping area under a bloody skylight.  Even has… had… a double aquarium.  I doubt the Alliance kept it once they confiscated the ship from Cerberus.  Luxury accommodations on a warship?  Flight Lieutenant Moreau’s chair was even upholstered in leather!”

“Damn!  Sounds like new frigates _should_ follow the _Normandy’s_ design.  A little luxury is good for morale.  But there may not even be any need for new ships with the Reap…  Repositories… running around the galaxy.”  Looking over her shoulder towards the ship, she continued, “Asharru is keeping watch over _us_ ,” as she waved a hand in the general direction of the black, insect-like shape floating broad off the Hong Kong’s starboard quarter.  “There’s probably enough of those things out there to shadow every warship in the fleets of every species in the galaxy.  If that happens, what would be the point of even building warships?  Why waste the credits?”

Corporal Vic opened the door to the lift and stepped inside, followed by the two women.  “We’re being watched, Commander… adjoining platform, no ship docked.  I don’t like it.”  Pointing to the controls, he asked, “Think they’ve been hacked?”

“If you’re suspicious, I’d bet my life on it.”  Xiùlán opened her omni-tool, entered several commands and waved her arm in front of the control panel.  “Good call, Corporal.”  She chose sub-level six as their destination; the car began descending as the segmented door closed and latched, then slowed to a stop within seconds, doors opening on sub-level one.  “Destinations were switched behind the panel.  This lift is in use all the time, so the hack must have been done within the past thirty minutes or so.”

Vic cautiously leaned his upper body out of the car to look around the passageway; he straightened as he said, “Looks safe enough, Ma’am.  Shall we… ?”

“Your instincts have been correct so far,” Xiùlán replied.  “Lead on, Corporal.  I’m going to contact the captain.”

“Aye, Ma’am.”  Vic undocked his assault rifle as he stepped out of the car; his leg had barely cleared the threshold when the doors began closing.  “Commander!”  Vic’s reaction was instantaneous.  He spun in place, jammed the rifle between the door segments to prevent the latches from engaging, then ducked, rolled to his left while undocking his shotgun and came up in a semi-crouch, ready to engage anyone daring to approach.

Miranda and Xiùlán had instantly moved into the corners on either side of the door; Xiùlán entered several commands in her omni-tool, then quickly turned away as the control panel literally exploded, showering the inside of the car with sparks along with poly-synthetic composite and metal shards.  Her effort was rewarded with the door segments once again retracting into their recesses; Miranda retrieved Vic’s now bent and useless assault rifle as it fell to the decking.  Vic backed into the elevator and asked, “Now what, Commander?”

Xiùlán was busy entering commands in her omni-tool.  “We’re going back up, Corporal.  Be ready for a welcoming committee.  Miranda?”

“I’m starting to doubt the wisdom of being associated with you, Xiùlán,” she snarked while undocking her pistol.  “Trouble just continues to follow you everywhere you go.”

“Never _said_ I led a dull life, Lawson,” Xiùlán snarked back with a grin.  “Besides, I truly believe _you_ are the source of all this tā mā de máfan [他媽的麻煩 – _fucking trouble]_ , and I fail to comprehend _why_ in _hell_ the Suns want you back!  You’ve been nothing but a Zài tāmen de pìgu tā mā de téngtòng [在他們的屁股他媽的疼痛 – literally, _a pain in their fucking ass]_ to them since you managed to relieve them of Shepard’s corpse.”  Xiùlán had hacked the sub-server for this area of the docks, locking out all the fast-trans-moving walkways, motorized stairs and elevators within a half-klick of her position before ordering their car back to the main docking level where they’d started.

“Okay, Corporal, look sharp.  I’m going to open the door just enough to take a look outside.”  Xiùlán entered and executed a command in her omni-tool; the segmented door opened a third of the way and stopped, leaving a diamond shaped opening in the center.

Vic looked at the path back to the ship, fifty meters away; it was strewn with a fair number of crates, equipment cases, pallets, all good cover for anyone wishing to ambush them.  Fortunately, a Marine detachment was heading towards them from the _Hong Kong_.  A call came over their intercoms: _“Commander Yuán, respond.”_

Xiùlán looked at Vic and frowned.  “Sound like anyone from the ship?  I was expecting either the captain or Abbott to be leading these guys.”

Vic kneeled in front of the door for a better look as he touched a control on his helmet.  A secondary visor with telescopic lenses slid down behind his clear battle visor; scanning the faces and uniforms of the twelve solders marching towards them didn’t make him feel any better.  “I don’t believe they’re from the ship, Ma’am.  Just a guess, but I think our comms are being jammed.  These people?… probably Suns.”

“Dammit!” Xiùlán did several things in rapid succession.  After engaging the ‘record’ function in the tool, she used its emergency frequency to send a text to Asharru, asking the Guardian-Repository to change position in order to bring its main weapon to bear on the people approaching; a copy of her message was sent to Lieutenant Cross on the ship, with instructions to quickly deploy the _HK2’s_ own Marines.  Finally, she opened her comlink and replied to the request she’d received: “ _Yuán… name and rank, soldier.”_

The twelve had stopped about 22 meters from the door.  The answer wasn’t what she’d expected, but the verbal insults certainly identified the speaker!  _“Les dispense wit’ da bullshit, Chinkerbell!  We want da Cerberus bitch.  Do yerself a big ol’favor… hand her over ta us, maybe ya get ta walk away wit’out me kicking yer yeller ass.”_ This was followed by sounds normally associated with a particularly obnoxious donkey; one of the twelve crouched on one knee and brought up a sniper rifle; Vic dodged to the side just as a bullet came through the diamond opening and slammed into the back wall.  This was followed by more laughter imitating the sound of a donkey.

 _“Not going to happen, Joesiar.  You’re the one going to get your ass kicked.”_ Xiùlán cut the connection and closed the door enough to leave only a 10 centimeter opening.  Keying her omnitool, she sent a request to Asharru: _“Main weapon, Asharru.  Stun only!  I want the miserable húndàn alive, míngbái wǒ?”_

Asharru’s reply came in the form of a massive trail of red-tinted orange light, traveling in a line over the nose of the docked _HK2_ , the terminus of which formed a large pool of energy surrounding the twelve unfortunate people caught in the middle; they all went down instantly, writhing for several moments in the intense electrical discharges before growing still with the fading of the intense light.  _› Enemy combatants incapacitated as requested, Yuán-Staff Commander_. _‹_

Xiùlán opened the elevator door completely as she sent, _“Xièxiè,_ _Asharru.”_

Vic rushed out of the door, sprinting to the group of men lying on the deck.  He noted with satisfaction a group of real Marines from the _Hong Kong_ , assault rifles at the ready, jogging towards his position.

Xiùlán and Miranda reached the group as the Marines from the _Hong Kong_ arrived on the other side.  “Binders on every one of them, Corporal.  Make damned sure they don’t have explosives secreted in their armor or inside their bodies.  Probably better to strip them to their shorts before they go to the Navy brig.  As for this one… ” she moved to the one man with the sniper rifle and pulled his helmet off.  She visually confirmed it actually _was_ Joesiar, then looked up at Miranda.  The former Cerberus operative was shaking, face in her hands.

Xiùlán quickly stood and embraced her silently weeping friend.  “Shhhh, he can’t hurt you anymore, Miri,” she whispered in her ear.  “You’re safe with me.”

Miranda responded by completely surrendering to her emotions… Xiùlán helped ease her to the decking as her knees buckled, then held her close; her shoulders shook as she broke down and sobbed, perhaps for the first time since her rescue from captivity.  She was barely aware that Xiùlán was holding on to her, stroking her hair and back in an effort to comfort her.  She cried as if she had been given a reprieve from a death sentence, until there was nothing left inside to give.  She coughed and gasped for air until finally able to catch her breath.

Corporal Vic and the Marines from the _HK2_ were standing around the pair, uncomfortable in the way of men unused to being confronted with such raw emotion; Xiùlán looked at the corporal, pointed her chin at the unconscious sniper and quietly but firmly said, “He’s the ring leader, Corporal.  Strip him, full search, including body cavities.  Special attention, solitary confinement, short rations, no lawyer, no brass, Míngbái wǒ?  Make damn sure you keep that rifle as evidence… I’d bet it fired the shot that hit me in the back.  We’ll let Captain Cody and Admiral Hackett deal with him in ten days or so.  I’m going to get Miranda back to the ship.”

“Aye aye, Ma’am.  Ahhhh, what about your shopping trip?”

“There’s always tomorrow… ” Xiùlán helped Miranda to her feet, placed an arm around her waist and said, “Come on, Miri, let’s get you back to the ship.  We’ve had enough excitement for one day.”

Miranda took a ragged breath through her mouth and let it out slowly.  “Thanks, Xiùlán… just… thanks.”


	41. Mass Relay Transit Home

_Towards thee I roll, thou all-destroying but unconquering whale; to the last I grapple with thee; from hell’s heart I stab at thee; for hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee._ \- Herman Melville, _Moby-Dick; or, The Whale_

* * *

*** SSV ORIZABA • MAIN CONFERENCE ROOM, 0745 ***

Admiral Steven Hackett set the datapad on top of the small stack on his desk as he glanced up at the sound of the access door sliding open.  He smiled as he rose from his chair and offered his hand in turn to Captain William Cody and Staff Commander Yuán Xiùlán.  “Good morning… good morning.  Thanks for coming over so early.  Understand there was a bit of excitement on the docks yesterday.  Catch me up, Commander.  I read your report… perhaps you can fill in between the lines?”

“Of course, Admiral.  Not much more to tell, actually,” Yuán said with a grim smile.  “Suns hacked the controls inside the lift so they could make yet another attempt on the lives of Miss Lawson and myself.  Stopped ‘em with an assist from Asharru.  Got their ringleader in custody, solitary, short rations, no lawyer or Alliance brass to bail him out.”

“So, what’s next for him?”  Hackett asked.

“That’s up to you and the captain here,” Xiùlán replied with a grimace.  “Me?… I’m too close to the situation.  You didn’t see what it did to Miranda… seeing that Lǘ miàn duì húndàn?  [驴面对混蛋]… sorry, donkey face bastard… she broke down when she recognized him, Admiral.  Really distraught… I think it set her recovery back.  I’ve been doing what I can for her, but truthfully,” Yuán leaned back in her chair and heaved a dejected sigh before finishing, “she’s damn near afraid to even leave the _Hong Kong_ , Sir.  She’ll need a lot of time to heal before she can go anywhere on her own.”

“I see.”  Looking at Cody, he said, “Well, looks like you have a temporarily assigned crewman on the _HK2_ , Bill.  But we have something else to discuss, which may have some bearing on Miss Lawson’s continued presence aboard.”  Hackett handed each of them a datapad.  “Classified information for the two of you.”  Looking at Cody, the grizzled old admiral continued, “I told you I’d give you a ship as soon as one became available.  I think that day… that ship… is almost here.  And Staff Commander,” he looked at Yuán and grinned.  “You’re going to need to update all of your uniforms.”

“Sir?”

“I’m expecting the _Normandy_ to arrive in system in a matter of days… it’s still docked aboard Žiuk’Durmah.  They’re entering the Apien Crest and will be hitting the turian relay shortly.”  Hackett paused while the implications of what he’d said sank in.  “ _Normandy_ doesn’t have a captain, Bill.  Commander Shepard is part of the computer core, and I suspect by now she can fly and fight that bloody vessel better’n any flesh and blood crew in the entire galaxy.  Major Kaidan Alenko could assume command, and I think he’d do a fine job, but my feeling is he won’t want the position simply because Shepard’s still onboard… they served together on the SR1, postponed the Reaper invasion together.  He’s a Marine, an accomplished biotic, and a Council Spectre.  We might be better served by transferring him… possibly having him take charge of the Marine contingent on board the _Hong Kong_.”

Xiùlán looked at Cody as she asked, “So, you’re transferring Cody to the _Normandy_?”

“Ship needs a captain, Commander.  Needs an XO as well, but I’ll get to that.  _Normandy’s_ retrofits were incomplete when Flight Lieutenant Moreau somehow cut the moorings and escaped Earth at the start of the Reaper invasion.  Ship was still a bit of a mess when I went aboard to speak to Shepard prior to our final assault – power cables and couplings all over the decks, hanging loose from the overhead, access panels loose, packing crates all over the place.  The Shadow Broker recently moved her equipment off the ship, so the XO’s quarters need refitting now.  There really wasn’t enough crew to properly man that ship when it left Earth, much less put things right during the past year or so.”

Cody looked at the admiral with an expression that said he was beginning to understand where this was going.  “So Admiral, just what do you intend to do?”

“Been giving this a lot of thought, Bill.  See if you agree with what I’m proposing.”  He leaned forward, hands clasped in front of him on the desk.  “You’ll be taking command of _Normandy_ as soon as it’s docked here.  Upon your departure from the _Hong Kong_ II, Staff Commander Yuán Xiùlán will immediately be promoted to Captain so she can assume command of the ship.”  Hackett looked at Xiùlán as he continued, “You’ll need to move someone up to the XO position – I assume you have been thinking on this since our last discussion?”

“I have, Sir.  I can forward my recommendations to you, if you wish.”

“Only if you need to make transfers from another ship, Commander.”  Hackett could see she had already been exploring her options for staffing her new command.  _‘Good for her’,_ he thought.  _‘She’s going to make an outstanding captain… the HK2 will be in good hands’_.  Hackett looked at Yuán and continued, “Just so you know, I can already guess that you’d like to have Specialist Traynor transferred off the _Normandy_ to become the HK2’s comm specialist?”

“That _was_ one transfer I intended to request, along with a promotion for her,” Xiùlán responded.  “I intend to promote Lieutenant Cross and name him ship’s XO.  I’ll need an experienced communications tech to step into his current position.  What did you have in mind for Specialist Traynor, Sir?”

Hackett glanced at Cody as he responded, “I’d like to see the specialist remain on the _Normandy_ for a time, Commander.  As I said, the ship was in the middle of a massive refit when the Reapers invaded.”  Hackett paused to study a datapad.  “We had to relocate several departments to bring the ship in line with standard Alliance layout for a frigate.  Traynor was in charge of the communications and computer retrofits, along with the QEC installation and configuration… there’s still work for her to complete on the ship, and she knows the systems better than anyone else I can think of.”  Looking at Cody again, he concluded with, “Right now, we can make better use of her abilities on board the _Normandy_.  The ship will be docked here until the necessary modifications and repairs can be completed.”

“Traynor was never officially assigned to the _Normandy_ as a crew member, Admiral,” Yuán said.  “That she was aboard when the _Normandy_ left Earth was just blind chance.”

Cody looked at his XO and smiled.  “She’ll still get her promotion, Xiùlán, to CW5… not unheard of for chief warrant officers like Traynor to get bumped two pay grades, and we live in extraordinary times.  I believe she deserves the chance… why else would the Alliance have invested so much in her education?  I _do_ agree with the Admiral regarding her posting.  If _Normandy_ still needs that much work to complete the retrofit, than she’s the person I’d like to have in charge of completing the work she started in Vancouver.”

Hackett leaned back in his chair and rubbed his scarred cheek.  “Commander, I have really puzzled over what to do regarding the comm position on the _Hong Kong_ , and… ,” Hackett retrieved and inspected a different datapad, “… I have a candidate in mind.  Not nearly as technically astute as Traynor, but she does have experience serving on warships; it’ll be up to you to convince her to take the job.  She’s currently a civilian, so if you _can_ convince her, I’ll personally endorse the warrant for her to serve in the Navy… ”

Xiùlán didn’t try to hide her astonishment at what the old warrior was suggesting.  “Miranda Lawson, Sir?  She’s a former Cerberus operative!  You think the crew would accept her, work with her, Sir?”

“Commander, the crew of the _Hong Kong_ would follow _you_ through the gates of hell if you asked, so I have no doubt they’ll abide by whatever decisions you make regarding staffing.  One cannot buy that kind of loyalty… it has to be earned.  During my entire military career I’ve only seen loyalty like that unquestioningly granted to one other person… Rachaél Shepard.”

Hackett paused, took a sip of tea from the cup beside him and continued.  “Talk to Lawson.  My guess is she’ll agree to any reasonable offer you make… just,” Hackett paused, more for effect than anything, “… don’t give away the store, hmm?  I seriously doubt she’d wish to make the Alliance her new career, but her medical and technical knowledge is impressive.  I think she’d be willing to stay long enough for us to find a cloned body for Shepard, _and_ you’ll have a comm tech until Cody feels ready to transfer Traynor off _Normandy_.”

Cody wanted to know, “What about the alien crew members on the ship, Admiral?”

“Tali’Zorah may return to the Migrant Fleet once in the Sol system.  I’ve been told Garrus Vakarian will be traveling with Doctor T’Soni when she sets out through the Charon relay for Arcturus,” Hackett responded.  “From there, they’ll set a course through open space for the Horsehead Nebula, in an attempt to locate and board the so called ‘Minuteman’ station.

“And the Prothean… Javik?  Is he still aboard Žiuk’Durmah?”

“ _Normandy_ crew didn’t want him back on the ship after… the incidents, and he hasn’t expressed any desire to leave Žiuk’Durmah… once _Normandy_ and Iringù-Eßizkur depart, Javik will have no choice but to stay.”

Xiùlán asked, “If you don’t mind my asking, what incidents, Sir?”

“I’ll forward the files I received from Mr Alenko, Commander.  Suffice it to say that Javik, for reasons known only to him, attempted to murder Specialist Traynor.  Shepard and Tali came to her rescue… Tali nearly killed him with a shotgun; days later, your friend Traynor asked him for an apology.  Javik refused, so Traynor bloodied his nose for him… put him on the deck… ,” the admiral snapped his fingers, “… just like that.

Xiùlán closed her eyes as she placed her fingers on her temples and shook her head, imagining the effects of Traynor’s triple snap punch to the alien’s face.  “My fault, Sir.  She learned hand-to-hand combat from me, _and_ she doesn’t suffer fools gladly, Admiral.”

Hackett smiled at her as he snarked, “Sounds like you should be an instructor in one of our basic training academies, Yuán.”

“Oh my god, Sir.  You wouldn’t _really_ sentence me to _that_ life, would you?”  Xiùlán knew the admiral was joking… at least, she hoped he was joking.  “Teaching Traynor was for my benefit… she taught me how to hack computers and control systems.  Saved our lives on that elevator yesterday.  I even have an understanding of quantum communications thanks to her patience in teaching me how the integrated systems are tied together.”

Hackett and Cody both laughed… Hackett continued to chuckle intermittently as he said, “No Commander, training recruits is not where your talents are needed.  Having you on the _Hong Kong_ will better enable me to keep an eye on you and the ship.  Now, if there’s nothing more… ?”

Hackett looked at each of them for a moment before saying, “… okay then.  I’ll be cutting the orders for each of you today.  Yuán, visit the equipment and clothing store as soon as possible.  Anything you need for your uniforms, have them bill the Alliance under my authorization.  If you can bring Lawson on board, same thing.  I won’t have personnel assigned to Fifth Fleet ships outfitted in anything less than the best.  Dismissed.”

Cody and Yuán rose as one, saluted the admiral and turned to leave.  Hackett had one last comment for Xiùlán before she left.  “Commander, I expect you will be contacting Traynor as soon as you’re back on the _HK2_ – feel free to fill her in… just ask her to keep it to herself until the ship docks here.  We’re reserving a bay close to the _Hong Kong_.  We’ll talk soon… ,” Hackett paused, then grinned as he added, “… Captain.”

* * *

*** SSV HONG KONG II • SC YUÁN XIÙLÁN’S QUARTERS, 1000 ***

Miranda Lawson had just finished taking a morning shower after completing several fast laps around the hanger deck; she entered the XO’s quarters on the port side of deck two, intending to gather her dirty clothes for laundering.  She hadn’t expected Xiùlán to be back from her visit to the Orizaba, so was a bit surprised to find her sitting at her desk, going over ship status reports.

As she started to walk around Xiùlán’s desk, the commander said, “Miranda, we need to talk… please have a seat.”  Xiùlán set the datapad she’d been studying on top of the stack; pushing this aside, she leaned back in her chair and waited for Miranda to sit; pouring a glass of water from the pitcher on the table beside her, she set it in front of Miranda as she sat down.  “Miranda, there’s no easy way for me to ask you… I mean, tell you… oh dìyù!  Admiral Hackett is going to transfer Captain Cody to _Normandy_ as soon as it docks here.  At that time, I’ll be placed in charge of the _Hong Kong_ with a promotion to the rank of Captain.

“That’s wonderful news, Xiùlán!  Congratulations!  What a wonderful opportunity!” Miranda stood, came around Xiùlán’s desk with her arms out and insisted on giving her a big hug.

Xiùlán stood and returned her hug before pulling back slightly to look her new friend in the eyes.  “There’s more… Hackett has authorized me to offer you a posting on this ship, Miranda… as the _Hong Kong_ ’s communications officer.”

Miranda tried to push away from Xiùlán, but couldn’t match the strength in her arms; as her biotics started to flare Xiùlán continued to hold her as she whispered, “Calm down, Miri.  Please, calm down.  You don’t have to accept!  No one is twisting your arm here.  Please… ” Xiùlán continued to talk Miranda down as she hugged her tightly, continued to reassure her until the telltale blue glow had dissipated.

“You tricked me, Commander!” Miranda said in an sad, angry voice.  “You gained my trust, and now this?  Let go of me, now!”

“Only if you calm down and hear me out.  You jumped to an incorrect conclusion in Huerta Memorial… you’re about to do the same thing here.  I need you to sit down, hear what I’m offering.  I am your friend, Miranda; I need you to trust me… trust that I am not attempting to deceive you.  Can you do that for me?”

Miranda slowly relaxed, allowing Xiùlán to pull her back into a close embrace before she released her.  She looked into Xiùlán’s eyes and saw… what, exactly, she was not sure.  Xiùlán’s eyes, dark as they were, also flashed with the fire instilled through the synthesis chosen by Rachaél Shepard.  Miranda realized the phenomenon only manifested when Xiùlán was emotionally stressed.  She returned to her chair, sat back, crossed her legs and clasped her hands in her lap in an effort to appear more relaxed than she felt.

Xiùlán returned to her own chair, placed her arms on the desk and clasped her own hands together, all the while studying Miranda intently.  “As I said Miri, no one is twisting your arm to stay on the _HK2_ ; however, with all the attempts on my life by the Blue Suns in their efforts to kidnap you, Admiral Hackett authorized me to offer you the position; and honestly, I don’t think it’s safe for you to leave the ship unless you’re accompanied by an armed escort.”  Xiùlán massaged her temples for a few moments before continuing.  “You would be enlisted as a warrant officer… totally in charge of comm systems ship wide.  You know Lieutenant Cross, my current CIC and comms officer.  I’ll be promoting him to Staff Lieutenant and making him my executive officer.  That will leave an opening for a CIC officer – I would like _you_ to be that officer, Miranda.”

“What are you not telling me, Commander.  There has to be more to this than you’re saying.  I need to know everything if I’m to join you, so please… tell me.”

“My… lover… my… future wife, you might say… Samantha Traynor… she’s currently aboard _Normandy_ … was in charge of the retrofits and upgrades when Joker hacked the moorings and escaped Earth.”  Xiùlán looked longingly at the framed photo on the desk, then turned it so Miranda could see.  “She wasn’t part of the crew… the Alliance had her assigned to the ground team working on the ship.  There was no time for her to leave the ship before it left… after seeing what the Reapers did to Earth, I’m glad she stayed aboard.”

Miranda leaned forward to see the photo of Xiùlán with a pretty young woman, medium-brown skin like a deep tan, dark hair in a regulation cut, delicate features.  “I’ve noticed this photo before.  Samantha appears to be a very passionate person, Commander.  Looks like a real sweetheart, too.”

Xiùlán nodded.  “I didn’t know she made it off Earth on the day of the attack… just found out a coupla months ago.  I intended to have her assigned on this ship as my comm specialist.  The admiral is going to dry-dock the ship; he and Captain Cody want Sam on board _Normandy_ until all the retrofits have been completed.”

Xiùlán looked up at Miranda.  “You staying on this ship will accomplish a number of things.  The most important thing to me is your personal safety.  But I need a person in the CIC with a good head on his… or her… shoulders.  I need someone I can trust with this ship, Miri.  You have experience as a ranking officer working for Cerberus.”

“A background that will no doubt make it difficult for the crew to trust me, Xiùlán.”

“Miranda, my crew would follow me into hell if I asked them… even Hackett realizes that.  I wouldn’t have to order them, you understand?… I’d only need to ask.  If I show them I trust you, they will accept you in the CIC; never doubt that for a moment.”  Xiùlán leaned her chair back, crossed her long legs and placed the heels of her boots on the corner of the desk.  Interlacing her fingers and hooking her thumbs under her belt, she continued, “ _Hong Kong_ will remain docked here for a number of days yet; I have to be released for duty by Doctor Phelps, and you should be receiving your replacement eye a few days after that.  We may be gunning for the Blue Suns, or heading for whatever Cerberus station in the traverse of which you have any knowledge.  We’ll have a destroyer class Repository shadowing us everywhere we go.

“Do I have to make a decision right now?  I must admit, the offer is tempting… my employment prospects outside the Alliance are rather slim.  I do have some funds hidden away… credits I managed to hide from the Illusive Man before it all went to ‘ell.”

Xiùlán smiled.  “I wouldn’t expect you to accept immediately, but _Normandy_ _’s_ arrival is only days away.  In the meantime, you still bunk with me… ”

Xiùlán looked at the photo of her and Sam, a recording of a simpler, happier time…  before the Reapers, before the Collectors, before the pain of Cartagena Station.  “It’s nice having a warm body in bed with me,” Xiùlán looked down and blushed.  “… and that really came out all wrong!  I just…”

Miranda reached over the desk to grab her hands.  “Xiùlán, I understand completely, I really do.  Samantha is your lover, and me sharing your bed is not going to change that… I won’t let it.  You’ll have my answer soon, I promise.”

“Good!  Then I’ll continue with these ship status reports.  Oh, and keep this conversation to yourself.  I haven’t spoken to Lieutenant Cross.  There very well may be more changes in personnel, but there will be a conference aboard the Orizaba once _Normandy_ arrives.”

* * *

*** APIEN CREST, TREBIA STAR SYSTEM ***

Žiuk’Durmah, approaching the turian Mass Relay, slowed his velocity to 290,000 Km/second and sent a text message to Traynor-Specialist and T’Soni-Shadow Broker informing them to prepare for transit.  When each had replied, he connected with Normandy-frigate as an image in the projection well of the QEC: **_Shepard-Normandy; Traynor-Specialist; T’Soni-Doctor; Greetings to each of you.  I am within an hour of reaching and transiting the Trebia Mass Relay, destination Charon relay, Sol System.  Does Vakarian-General wish to be transported to Palavan?_**

Garrus was standing behind Liara and spoke up so the machine could hear him.  “Not at this time, Žiuk’Durmah.  My father… my sister… both are safe.  There is nothing I can do for them they cannot do themselves.  I need to accompany Doctor T’Soni aboard Iringù-Eßizkur.  We will leave your docking area once we arrive in the Sol system; from there, we intend to set out across the void for the Horsehead Nebula.”

 **_That will require traversing open space, as repairs to the receiving relay in that nebula_ ** **_have not been completed… it will not be operational for approximately 215 days._ **

“… Which is the reason Doctor T’Soni chose Iringù-Eßizkur as her transport.  She can cover the distance in about 50 to 55 days.”

Liara interrupted Garrus with, “We’ll be searching for any signs or remains of a Cerberus research outpost… the Minuteman Station.  We’ll be searching for a cloned body for Shepard.”

**_Very well.  Relay transit will commence in less than three minutes.  Please make whatever preparations you deem necessary to ensure a trouble-free transit.  Logging you out…_ **

The image of their transport dissolved in a swirl of blue-tinged light pixels as the projectors lost the carrier.

As he approached the relay, he sent the signal to activate the ancient construct; it responded by performing the final attitude corrections needed to align with Charon, even as it sent a corresponding signal to Charon to modify its attitude for reception.  The massive hybrid machine directed a portion of its systems status processor inward, focusing attention on the immense eezo core that provided its power.

There seemed to be some anomalies within the magnetic containment field… slight variations in the voltage levels from the field coils seemed to be causing the entire field to wax and wane in an unpredictable fashion.  None of the variations exceeded safe operating parameters, but he continued to monitor the field coils for incipient signs of failure.

Žiuk’Durmah sent the final command to the relay as he accelerated to FTL speed, reached the outer influence of the relay’s eezo core within its gyroscopic containment rings, and disappeared in a massive explosion of blue-shifted light waves…

* * *

*** INSIDE THE ANCIENT REPOSITORY ŽIUK’DURMAH ***

Javik had spent his time inside his compartment… his prison… in the Reaper’s (he would never dignify the machine’s request to be called a Repository!) library, studying the history of the Prothean race… _his_ race, not the subservient creatures subjugated by his people calling themselves Prothean.  Imperialistic rule of most of the known galaxy should have been all the defense needed against the machine invasion.

Javik’s entire ‘above ground’ life during his own cycle had involved fighting the Reapers.  His ‘birth’ had been in a huge underground chamber, one of hundreds of thousands.  He was educated during what the humans would categorize as a larval grub stage of life.  Once entering the sleep, or ‘pupa’ stage, he had slept for several cycles as metamorphosis transformed him into a young adult… identical in all ways to his current appearance except stature.  Once he had emerged from his sleep cocoon, his education continued through several molts as his growth to full adulthood progressed.

Having to begin fighting the Reapers as soon as he had been granted access to ‘above ground’ forced him to set aside a formal education… there was time only for war.  He had new found respect for the manner in which his people had battled the Reapers to a virtual standstill; the Reaper’s use of husks… converted members of his own race, what this cycle knew as ‘Collectors’, had been the main advantage the Reapers had over the Protheans, and they employed that advantage with a ruthless efficiency.  It was a lesson quickly learned… leave no one behind; even fallen warriors could be resurrected and turned into mindless, soulless fighters that felt neither pity or pain.

And now, after fifty thousand years, the Reaper’s harvest of organic life had been completely stopped by a coalition of this cycle’s dominant races.  Working together, they had successfully constructed and used the massive weapon that the scientists of Javik’s time had nearly completed.  Reapers were no longer an enemy to be destroyed, or so the races of this cycle had been led to believe.  Žiuk’Durmah had spoken at great length with the last Prothean, attempting to persuade him of the futility of holding on to his hatred.  Javik had even been granted an accompanied tour of the vast machine’s inner sections, including the massive chamber containing the enormous eezo core and the generator for the main weapon.

Despite all of this, despite the examples set by the crew of the _Normandy_ (with the exception of that miserable human female, Traynor, who’d managed to see right through him), Javik could not, would not change his viewpoint concerning the races of this galaxy (they all should be subjugated!), nor would he change his belief that destruction of the Reapers was still the best course of action.  His people had nearly finished the weapon Shepard had utilized to stop the Reapers… it was unfortunate for the galaxy she had chosen to not destroy the entire machine race, along with the geth and that insufferable EDI machine.

By choosing synthesis, Shepard had betrayed not only her own race, but the turians, asari, krogan… her misplaced sympathy had even been her downfall with the Rachni queen.  Everyone would pay for her folly in the future.  Leaving the Reapers alive was a mistake.  He was determined to destroy this Reaper, this… Žiuk’Durmah… along with the small Reaper docked within, and the _Normandy_ , whose crew seemed so welcoming of this new reality.

Javik had set a plan in motion… one he felt would cause the maximum amount of damage to this so called ‘peace’.  He had viewed the video of Shepard’s destruction of the Alpha relay in the Bahak system… that explosion had destroyed an entire solar system in a similar fashion to the sun going supernova.  Javik realized an explosion of this Reaper’s eezo core might generate only a small fraction of the energy released by the Alpha relay; still, he felt that unleashing it in close proximity to the Citadel would inflict massive damage on the station, possibly even destroying whatever ships were docked or in flight within its arms.

The Prothean had covertly introduced a malicious code into the machine’s subroutine processors tasked with monitoring the voltage applied to the field coils generating the enormous magnetic bubble that constrained and directed the energy generated by the eezo core.  He did not have the knowledge needed to hide this from Žiuk’Durmah; he was relying on the Reaper’s ignorance of such things… its inability to perceive a threat from within its own hull.  Javik speculated the Reaper, itself able to indoctrinate organic beings for its own purposes, would not expect that a simple organic such as himself would be able to corrupt its machine program with a few simple lines of malevolent code… code that would destabilize the colossal field coils keeping the magnetic cloak in place around its core.  Provided Žiuk’Durmah failed to discover the sabotage, Javik could use his omni-tool to control the timing of the field collapse to coincide with the Reaper’s arrival at the Citadel.

He was not worried about his own survival.  As the last living Prothean, he had no other purpose in this cycle; he did not belong here.  He would die exacting the revenge of trillions of his people on this Reaper.  It would have to be enough… a final destructive gesture from the final survivor of a race extinct for over fifty thousand years.  He would join his ancestors with a clear conscience.

Javik felt the slight increase in the frequency of the faint vibration in the frame of the giant monstrosity in which he was being held, and smiled inwardly on the realization he was experiencing a relay induced jump to the next system.  “Reaper!” he said.  “Where are we going?”

Žiuk’Durmah, having grown used to long silences by the last Prothean, took a few moments to reply.  › _Charon relay, Sol system_.‹

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _Those of you that remember_ “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” _should be familiar with the last portion of the curse quoted at the beginning of the chapter.  I used the entire line from Herman Melville’s_ “Moby Dick” _, in which Captain Ahab curses the whale that has brought him to his doom._

 


	42. Mercy Mission

_I wonder which will get you killed faster—your loyalty or your stubbornness?_ \- Susan Ee, _Angelfall_

* * *

*** SSV STALINGRAD, HANGER DECK · LOW EARTH ORBIT ***

The _Shanghai_ _’s_ shuttlecraft eased past the kinetic barrier at the hanger bay ramp and slowly slid into the compact space in the belly of the _SSV Stalingrad_ , settling onto its main thruster pods as the pilot increased the apparent mass of the small craft and gradually throttled the ventral thrusters down.  As the whining songs of the ME generator, environmental pumps and impellers diminished in pitch and volume, the port side hatch retracted with the barely audible clicking of disengaged latches and humming hiss of hydraulics to reveal Gunnery Chief Sandra Patton, standing alongside the grizzled figure of Zaeed Massani.

Captain Zackary Martinez and Lieutenant Commander Terrance Russo had been standing just outside the blast radius of the shuttle’s thrusters; Martinez came forward first, offering his hand in welcome to Massani as he stepped out of the shuttle.

“Massani, welcome aboard the _Stalingrad_.  Your reputation precedes you; pleasure to meet you, Sir.”

Zaeed shook hands with the captain as Martinez continued, “This is my XO, Commander Terrance Russo.  You need anything, anything at all during your stay, don’t hesitate to ask.”

Massani shook hands with Russo as he asked, “How long’ll I be stayin’, Cap’n?”

“We’re making ready to leave the system within the hour… fly you to the Citadel, transfer you to the _Orizaba_ … Admiral Hackett’s flagship.  The _Hong Kong_ is in a Naval dock there, and I’ve been informed _Normandy_ is scheduled to arrive in less than two days.”  Martinez led the small group towards the elevator as he continued, “Not sure when the _Hong Kong_ is scheduled to depart… that’s Bill Cody’s ship.  He’s the one with the hard on for… ” Martinez paused as he remembered Patton was accompanying them, “… apologies Gunny, that just… ”

“… No apology necessary, Captain,” Patton interrupted.  “I’ve heard it all… please continue.”

Martinez recovered and said, “… anyway, Cody is the one going after the Blue Suns.  I understand you were once in the Suns yourself, Massani.”

“I founded the fuckin’ group with Vido Santiago,” Massani said testily.  “Sonovabitch betrayed me, tried to murder me.  Took me twenty goddamn years ta locate ‘im, only ta have ‘im slip through my fingers on Zorya ‘cause of Commander bloody fuckin’ Shepard.  If your Cap’n Cody can get me within arm’s reach of ‘im, I’ll gut tha bastard for ya.”

The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened onto deck two.  “Galley’s here, if you need a bite to eat,” Martinez said.  “I need to send a message to Admiral Hackett.  Russo here will see to any requests you may have.  We’ll be heading for the relay in forty-five.”  He looked at Patton and said, “You heading back to the _Shanghai_ before we depart?”

“Yes Sir – I’ll be riding the shuttle back to the ship.”  Turning to Massani she said, “Take care of yourself, you old merc.  And… thanks… for breakfast.  Hope to see you again.”

Zaeed chuckled.  “Gunny, yer a goddamn terrible liar.  Ya hope ya never hafta lay eyes on me agin, an’ we both know it.”  Offering his hand, he said, “G’bye, darlin’. Keep that sweet l’il ass of yours safe out there.”

Patton took Zaeed’s hand and said, “I’ve told you, I’m not… ahhh, what’s the use?”  She moved in close to the crotchety old merc, placed a quick kiss on his cheek and stepped back.  “Stay safe, Massani.  It’s been… an experience.”  The gunnery chief turned and saluted Martinez and Russo, then backed into the elevator and punched the control for the hanger deck.  Massani was surprised to see her smiling at him as the doors closed.

As Martinez excused himself and headed for the port side staircase up to the conference room, Russo looked at Massani and told him, “I have to prepare the ship for departure, Mr Massani.  Do you need anything?”

“Yeah,” Zaeed answered.  “I answer to Zaeed… or Massani.  Forget tha ‘mister’, okay?”

“You got it, Sir.”

Zaeed rolled his eyes as he grabbed his bag and headed for the mess area and galley.

* * *

*** CHARON RELAY · SOL SYSTEM ***

The Charon Relay rolled, pitched and yawed in anticipation of an event that had never occurred in the entirety of its existence – the arrival of an old machine direct from the Apien Crest.  The churning element zero core brightened and swirled faster as the gyroscopic containment rings increased rotational speed to enable the colossus safe deceleration from FTL to a relative standstill; within seconds, Žiuk’Durmah seemed to materialize beside the rotating rings as if from nowhere, electrical discharges from its six ventral appendages appearing as blue-shifted emissions trailing back along its trajectory.

It slowed to a near standstill a thousand klicks from the relay as it called to Iringù-Eßizkur and the crew of Normandy-frigate.  › _EDI-Normandy_.  _T’Soni-Doctor_.  _Stand by for outer hatch to open_.  _Expect undocking for departure in ten minutes_.‹

“Žiuk’Durmah.  We’re ready to leave your docking facility for free space,” Liara said through her comm link.  “Iringù-Eßizkur is ready to travel under her own power.”

“ _Normandy_ is ready to move on your command, Žiuk’Durmah,” EDI relayed for Joker.

The heat emissions from _Normandy_ _’s_ four main engines, cold and inactive during many months of travel, steadily increased hand-in-hand with the hot, blue tinged white glow of plasma within the blackened discharge nozzles as Lieutenant Adams and his engineering team gradually brought the eezo core back online.  An increasingly obvious, deeply-felt thrumming wave of low-frequency vibrations, felt more than heard, could be sensed inside the ship.

“Checklist complete, Jeff.  Environmental, navigational, propulsion, all operating within specified parameters,” EDI reported.  “All external access ports and hatches are closed, latched and sealed.  Pressure hull integrity is one hundred percent.”

“Thanks EDI,” Joker replied.  “Standby for maneuvering.”

Specialist Samantha Traynor was monitoring the _Normandy_ _’s_ startup from her station on the starboard side of the galaxy map access platform, where Commander Shepard’s image was currently ‘standing’.  Since Shepard was in _Normandy_ _’s_ computer, she actually had no need to ‘stand’ anywhere, but she felt she needed to be a visible presence nonetheless.

Traynor was almost ready to close her terminal and move to the QEC compartment when she paused.  “Commander, take a look at this.  It’s a sub-routine program, part of the propulsion and weapons energy generator control programming inside Žiuk’Durmah’s auxiliary computer core.”  There was concern in Sam’s voice.  “These eighty lines should not be there… they’re foreign, not part of the original programming.”

Shepard looked around and down at Sam as she complied with the request from within the server that was her home.  “What are you even doing poking around in there, Specialist?  Does Žiuk’Durmah _know_ you’re snooping around in there?”

“No Ma’am,” Traynor replied.  “I was doing some clandestine research, hoping to learn the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of the Repositories ability to achieve such unimaginable FTL velocities by simply manipulating the field current surrounding their eezo cores, when I stumbled upon… this.”

Shepard studied the eighty lines buried within the many millions of lines of code, all relating to how each field coil interacted with its neighboring components to regulate the enormous flow of energy from the eezo core; the programming appeared similar to the _Normandy’s_ own control program in all aspects except size, both of the program and the eezo core being controlled.  “What makes you think these don’t belong?”

“Form is slightly different from the code surrounding it.  The main source code has a lot of artifacts of the Prothean language.  These?… they look different, _‘sound’_ different than the rest, if you take my meaning.”

“What possible harm could this cause, Specialist?  What’s the worst that can happen?”

“At best, it might disable from one to ten, or possibly _all_ of the field coils, allowing a partial breach of the magnetic field constraining the core… eezo would ‘leak’ from the core, gradually shutting down all power production, although that’s a simplistic explanation.”

Traynor was quiet for several moments as she ran scenarios in her head.  “At worst, it could have the opposite effect, compelling the entire field to collapse inward, creating an implosion; this would short-circuit and disable the field, causing a core explosion of massive proportions.”

Shepard was instantly on guard.  “How massive,” she whispered tensely.

“Žiuk’Durmah’s structure would be almost instantly vaporized, from the inside out.”

Shepard nodded as she thought back to her experience with Amanda Kenson on ‘Project Base’, where she’d made the difficult choice to restart the project to destroy the Alpha relay in the Bahak system.  That relay’s destruction had caused an eezo chain reaction, creating a nova-like explosion that obliterated the entire system and the lives of over 300,000 batarian colonists in the process.  Her responsibility for their deaths had landed her in the Vancouver Navy brig for six months while the brass did nothing but sit on their hands.  “What kind of collateral damage could be expected?”

“Unknown, Commander.  I don’t expect there’d be much shrapnel to deal with.  My guess would be that any ship, of _any_ size in close proximity, say, within about ten thousand klicks?…  would sustain moderate to severe damage, possibly even be destroyed by the shockwaves.”

“Can you determine the source of this anomaly, Specialist?”

“No Ma’am, at least, not from here.  I would need… to… be inside… Žiuk’Durmah… have access to a terminal, preferably near the core itself.”  Sam closed her eyes and shook her head as realization began to dawn on her.  “Commander, the _only_ way this bit of foreign code could have been implanted is from _inside_ Žiuk’Durmah.  Now, who do we know that’s residing inside his structure?”  she asked rhetorically.  Sam put a hand across her mouth as she realized the reason Žiuk’Durmah even _had_ a guest inhabitant.  “My god, Commander.  He’s in there because of me, isn’t ‘e?  That spiteful bastard!  It’s all my fault.”

Shepard nodded in agreement with Traynor’s assessment.  “Javik.  But definitely not _your_ fault, Traynor.  No one on this ship, including myself, wanted him back on board after the shit he pulled here; to this day he has steadfastly refused to apologize for his actions.”

Traynor looked at her terminal.  “Iringù-Eßizkur is moving, Ma’am.  She’s leaving Žiuk’Durmah.”

“I’ll contact Liara,” Shepard said.  “You send a message to Žiuk’Durmah.  Tell him to contact us in the QEC.  I have to talk to Joker first, have him delay departure for forty minutes.”

“Aye aye, Ma’am.”

Shepard’s image disappeared as she transferred to the bridge to talk to Joker.

* * *

*** INSIDE THE DESTROYER REPOSITORY IRINGÙ-EẞIZKUR ***

_“… Shepard, you’re not making any sense.  How can Žiuk’Durmah possibly be ready to explode?  What proof… ,”_ Liara was attempting to understand Rachaél’s description of the anomaly Traynor had discovered when Shepard cut her off.

 _“Liara, just direct Iringù-Eßizkur through that relay to Arcturus!  Do it now!”_ Shepard was attempting to keep her voice calm… the thought of Iringù-Eßizkur possibly being in the blast zone of a massive eezo explosion was making her just a bit crazy.  _“Liara!  Move!”_

Liara cut the comlink, activated the interface at her desk and said, _“Iringù-Eßizkur, you heard all that?”_

› _Affirmative, Liara T’Soni_.  _I will comply with the wishes of the Shepard_.‹ the Repository replied in her ancient voice.

Liara glanced at the monitors emulating forward viewports; Iringù-Eßizkur had just turned past Žiuk’Durmah and was heading for the relay.  Liara watched as the primeval device reoriented itself towards the Arcturus relay.  The view was momentarily obscured by tendrils of red-shifted energy as they drew abreast of the relay, which responded to their presence by opening a corridor of space-time, propelling them in an instant to Arcturus Stream.

* * *

*** SSV NORMANDY · DECK TWO, QEC COMPARTMENT ***

Samantha Traynor had sent an urgent text to Žiuk’Durmah as she walked to the QEC, so was not surprised to find an image of the Repository hovering in the projection chamber as she entered the small room.  “Žiuk’Durmah.  You have been monitoring my study of your computer programming?”

 ** _I have not, Traynor-specialist,_** came the reply.  **_Was there some rationale for your covert intrusion into my programming?_**

 _“Yes, but not important now,”_ Traynor replied.  _“I have discovered an anomaly within a sub-routine program that monitors and modifies the output of the field coils regulating the magnetic envelope surrounding your eezo heart.”_ Traynor transmitted the location of the rogue code.  _“I showed this to Commander Shepard.  She agrees with my hypothesis that it’s almost certainly malicious and potentially destructive.  It needs to be removed or blocked before it can cause any harm.”_

 ** _That may not be possible.  I have monitored disturbances in the stability of the magnetic field.  Running diagnostics…_** Žiuk’Durmah paused for several seconds, then continued, ** _… I believe the code cannot be safely detached.  It appears to have been created to combine with the rest of the code in that sector of command lines._**

 _“You realize this was done by Javik, right?  He intends to see you destroyed, and if your destruction takes out a portion of, what?… the Citadel?… Admiral Hackett’s flagship?… all of them?”_ Traynor was having a difficult time keeping her anger in check.  _“Javik doesn’t care how many other people he hurts or kills to satisfy his need for revenge.  Žiuk’Durmah,_ _this is all on me… all of it!  He would not be residing in your structure, pretending to be your friend, if I hadn’t let my hatred for him cloud my judgment!”  _Traynor paced back and forth behind the curved railing housing the Haptic interfaces.  _“Žiuk’Durmah, you must let me enter your structure!  I have to try to eliminate that code!”_

 ** _Not advisable, Traynor-Specialist.  Normandy-frigate is set to depart.  You need to depart.  Your place is on Normandy-frigate,_** Žiuk’Durmah replied, a hint of sadness in his voice.

 _“Can you get me inside your structure without the Prothean’s knowledge?  The code is an executable… it has to be activated by Javik, probably from his omni-tool.  I believe I can build a block around it,”_ Traynor said through her teeth.  _“I have to try!”_

**_You are human… why risk your continued existence for me?_ **

Traynor grinned.  Perhaps they weren’t so different after all.  _“Because I am human, as you say.  It’s what we do… sacrifice for others.  Do not go through the relay.  Keep Javik occupied.  Contact Har… First One, have him meet us here.  Also, was there a ‘Nazara’ class Repository leading the relay repairs in Arcturus Stream?_”

**_Affirmative.  That one is Esiz’Qür._ **

_“Contact… it?… him?  We need him in this system.”_ Traynor had a plan, a long shot plan born from desperation.  _“I have to talk to Commander Shepard.  Logging you out for now.”_

* * *

*** DECK TWO · BRIDGE ***

After delaying departure, Joker gingerly eased _Normandy_ away from the docking apparatus that embraced the ship… had embraced them… for the half-year plus trip back from the edge of the galaxy.  As he turned the ship for the huge circular opening that was their portal back to the void of space, several warning lamps in the auxiliary status display beside EDI’s main control panel illuminated bright orange and flashing red.

“Jeff, the hanger deck ramp is being deployed.  A shuttle craft is preparing to leave.”

“I know EDI.  It’s a repair mission.”  Joker looked at the synthetic/human hybrid.  “Authorized by the Commander.  Cortez is flying Traynor and Tali’Zorah to the lower section of this chamber.”

“A repair mission?  What needs repairing?  Shouldn’t I have been included on the team?”

Joker nearly fell out of his chair as the unmistakable ›snap‹ of an electrical short circuit sounded behind his left ear.  “Just like old times, eh, Flight Lieutenant?”  Shepard’s avatar had popped into view on its old perch.  “Sorry to startle you… did you miss me?  Haven’t popped in here like _that_ in a while.”  The rotating dodecahedron shone brightly as Shepard continued the explanation.  “In response to your question, EDI, you’re needed right where you are.  Soon as the shuttle is clear, close the ramp and exit on your programmed flight path with no delays.  We need everything to look normal as possible.”

“Aye aye, Ma’am.  Are we going to hit the relay for the Citadel?”

“Not yet.  Soon as we’re clear, set course for Neptune’s orbit.  We’re going to wait there until we get an ‘all-clear’ from Harbinger.”

“Ah, ohhh-kaaayyyy… still don’t know what needs repairing, Ma’am,” Joker pouted.

“I’ll tell you once I know if the repairs are successful,” Shepard replied mysteriously.

* * *

*** INSIDE THE ANCIENT REPOSITORY ŽIUK’DURMAH ***

Traynor began sending text messages to Žiuk’Durmah as soon as the UT-47a had cleared _Normandy_ _’s_ hanger ramp and begun a descending turn to port, towards the distant bottom of the vast chamber.  She had linked her omni-tool’s message system into the small display panel to the starboard side of the flight controls.

She texted, _“Žiuk’Durmah.  We are clear of Normandy and descending into the chamber.  Is Javik aware of anything that we are doing?”_

› _He has expressed disappointment that Iringù-Eßizkur and Normandy-frigate have left_.  _He is not aware Shuttle-Normandy has been left behind, therefore is unaware of your presence_.  _I fear he will begin to get suspicious if my passage through Charon is delayed much longer_.‹

_“He has a monitor panel with an outside view, like a viewport on a human ship?”_

› _Affirmative_.‹

 _‘Shit!’_ she thought.  _“Žiuk’Durmah, I need you to gradually start having technical difficulties with the video feed on that monitor - picture in and out of focus, tearing/ rolling/ ‘noise’.  When he inquires what’s wrong, tell him it’s old damage to a coupling, just discovered.  Tell him you’re attempting repairs, then turn the feed off.  You generate a distinct vibration when you travel through a relay… it could even be felt inside Normandy.  I think he wants to take you down either between relays or in the Widow system, next to the Citadel, and he’ll know when you make the trip even without video confirmation.”_

› _Processing errors are being added to the video_.  _I need to close the chamber access port and reposition my main arms for relay travel, Traynor-Specialist_.  _I will delay here as long as deemed prudent, but I must be ready to make the transit_.‹

“We’re in position, Specialist.”  Cortez had set the shuttle down adjacent to a hatch at the chamber’s bottom; it appeared to be the same style as the hatch above them.  “I have the nav-computer programmed to fly us straight from this point to the exit hatch, but it’ll take us a good twenty-five to thirty seconds to reach it.  _If_ I’m alerted, I can have us hovering with engines powered up, ready to take off.  That’ll shave a good ten seconds off my estimate.”  Steve placed a hand on Traynor’s arm.  “If I’m disabled for any reason, Specialist, press this… ,” he indicated an orange flashing ‘button’ on the interface, “… once you’re aboard… the computer will take care of the rest.

“Thanks Lieutenant.  I appreciate you being here.”

“ _Žiuk’Durmah, standby.  I will alert you when we need to leave your structure.  Link your audio into our comm system so we can talk directly with each other.”_

A two-second pause was followed by a voice in her headset.  › _Affirmative, Traynor-Specialist_.  _I am simultaneously speaking to your companions_ ; _Shepard-Normandy will also monitor our conversations_.‹

Looking at her quarian friend as she opened the hatch, she asked, “Ready, Tali?”

“I don’t know why in the names of my ancestors I allowed you to talk me into this, Samantha.”  Tali was anxious, and it showed in her voice and by the way she was ‘dry washing’ her hands.

“We can do this Tali… you can do this, but if you wish to stay here with Cortez, I’ll understand, and I won’t think any less of you for doing so.”

“I’ll be fine.  Let’s just… go, Traynor, Let’s get this over with.”  Tali undocked her shotgun and inspected it.  “I hope I don’t need this, but… ”

Traynor called Žiuk’Durmah as she left the relative safety of the shuttle and stepped onto the strange metal floor of the chamber, then walked up to the hatch with Tali following uneasily.  _“Open the hatch, Žiuk’Durmah.”_ She was wearing an infiltrator’s style suit, lightly armored, with two modifications… her gloves were the same customized sparring gloves she’d worn when she’d hit Javik and when she’d kicked Vega’s ass.  She also had a special surprise in a scabbard strapped diagonally across her back.

As the metal blades of the hatch ‘shissed’ and slid past each other, lights appeared in the interior.  Traynor said, “Keep an eye on our six, Tali,” as she stepped past the threshold and moved into the passageway.

* * *

*** SSV HONG KONG II · QEC & WAR ROOM, 1120 – 1145 ***

“She’s _where_?!”  Yuán Xiùlán was absolutely incredulous.  “Why in the name of the seven mad gods would she do that?  Has she completely taken leave of her senses?!”

Major Kaidan Alenko was standing beside Commander Shepard’s image at the rail in front of the imaging chamber in the QEC, attempting to explain the current absence of Specialist Traynor.  _“She insisted she be allowed to try, Commander.  Javik is apparently hell-bent on destroying Žiuk’Durmah… ”_

Shepard continued for Alenko with _“… he told me when we first brought him on board he was an avatar for vengeance, Yuán.  He’s apparently unable to alter that mindset, even after so much time within Žiuk’Durmah studying his people’s history.  Normandy and Iringù-Eßizkur have left Žiuk’Durmah – Iringù-Eßizkur has gone through the relay, taking Liara T’Soni and Garrus Vakarian to Arcturus Stream.”_

Shepard glanced at Alenko before continuing. _“Normandy is still in system, shadowing the Repository from what we hope is a safe distance while we covertly monitor all communications between Traynor, her shuttle and Žiuk’Durmah.”_

Xiùlán massaged her temples, trying to make sense of all she’d just been told.  “What’s the plan if it all goes sideways, Commander?  How the ‘ell will you get her out of there?”

_“If, as you say, it all does go sideways, Commander?… there’s no possibility we can retrieve her or her companions.  She’s… ”_

Yuán interrupted with “… Wait, what!?  There’s people in that Tā mā de húndàn [他媽的混蛋 – _fucking bastard]_ with her!?”  Xiùlán could feel the headache that had formed behind her eyes beginning its inevitable spread across the top of her head.  “How many?”

Alenko answered, _“Lieutenant Steve Cortez is her shuttle pilot – best small craft pilot in the fleet; Tali’Zorah vas Normandy, a quarian engineer, is accompanying Traynor inside.”_

“Major… Commander… respectfully, why not simply let Javik blow this Reaper to hell?  I mean, is it really that gāisǐ [該死 – _damn]_ important?  One more Reaper gets destroyed?  I don’t see the problem here, especially if human lives are at stake.  It’ll take that Xuèxīng [血腥 _– bloody]_ Prothean as well, right?  There’s something the pair of you are not sharing with me.  Give it up!  I need to know!”

 _“Traynor believes it’s her fault Javik is still aboard that Reaper, Yuán,”_ Shepard replied.  _“Fact of the matter is the entire crew, including myself, was glad to have him off the ship, and here’s the thing… we believe an eezo core explosion from a Nazara class Reaper will damage any ship or object within about ten million klicks.”_

Alenko continued, _“If that explosion occurs in the Widow system, it’ll either damage the_ _relay or the Citadel.  Traynor knows that – it’s why she’s attempting to disrupt Javik’s plan.”_

“If she succeeds?  What then?”

Alenko looked down, as did Shepard; looking back up at the projection of Xiùlán in her QEC, Shepard quietly replied, _“Whether or not she’s successful is immaterial to Traynor, Commander.  She’s going to kill Javik with her bare hands.  Traynor says he will never be a problem again… for anyone.  She’ll accomplish what I could not.”_

Xiùlán was quiet as she thought this over.  “Very well, Commander… Major.  Whatever happens, please give me a call when it’s over.”  She looked at the tech monitoring the connection, made a neck-slashing motion with her fingertips, then used her forearms to lean on the rail as she silently prayed for the survival of the woman that meant more to her than life itself.

* * *

*** INSIDE THE REPOSITORY ŽIUK’DURMAH ***

Traynor and Tali’Zorah had made their way through the passageway that ran arrow-straight towards Žiuk’Durmah’s eezo core.  Sam was following a map provided by the Repository… it was supposed to lead her to a terminal where she would attempt to either remove or block the rogue instruction lines planted by Javik – the code destabilizing the grid of coils generating and regulating the magnetic field – the bubble – that constrained and provided control of the eezo core.  A chime in her headset indicated an incoming message.

› _Traynor-Specialist_.  _Javik has inquired as to why I am not moving_. _ He claims to be impatient to reach the Citadel_.  _I am unable to answer without divulging the truth_.  _What should I do_?‹

Traynor replied, _“Tell ‘im the relay is experiencing power fluctuations, not uncommon for a device just repaired and using so much eezo.  Tell him your pals are working to repair it.”_ She paused, then asked, _“Has First One or Esiz’Qür arrived?”_

› _Esiz’Qür has arrived_.  _First One should arrive in several minutes_.‹

 _“Žiuk’Durmah, this is important.  I want you to prepare your archives, compress all the files, for a high-speed dump to either or both of the Repositories out there.  If the worst happens… if Javik succeeds in destroying you, that data… the records of the Protheans…  your archives… they must be preserved, Žiuk’Durmah.  They cannot be lost because of_ _that miserable insect’s desire for revenge… I couldn’t bear it.  I need to know all of this mattered.  Tie our communications in for First One and Esiz’Qür so they can monitor us._

A two-second pause, then, › _It is being done as instructed, Traynor-Specialist_.‹  Another pause, then › _First One wishes to know, as did I, why you are doing this_.‹

“ _It’s as I told you earlier,”_ Traynor responded as she came to the end of the passage.

The circular hatch irised open to reveal a large compartment, bare with the exception of several terminals equipped with Haptic-style interfaces.  “Tali, go to that terminal,” Sam said as she directed Tali to the one on the left.  “I’ll need your help on this.”

“Okay, Žiuk’Durmah.  We need access to the your sub-routines.  I also need you to plot a path to the area where Javik currently resides.”

› _To what purpose, Traynor-Specialist? _ ‹

“ _Whether or not we can prevent you destruction, I’m going to make sure the Prothean race is well and truly extinct.  Thanks to the Reapers, their time was finished over fifty thousand years ago.  There is no need for any Prothean survivors in this cycle.”_

› _I cannot permit you to murder the last Prothean, Traynor-Specialist._ ‹

 _“Who said anything about murder?  He’ll have a chance… it’ll be slim, but it’ll be more of a chance than he’s giving you.  I intend to beat ‘im to death, Žiuk’Durmah.  He’ll be able to fight back, but I don’t expect he’ll be able to touch me.  As long as you keep his biotics blocked, it’ll be a fair fight.  He’s a professional soldier, after all.  I’m just a simple communications tech.”_ Traynor paused as she opened the terminal in front of her.  _“We need access, Žiuk’Durmah.  We’re out of time!”_

Tali had docked her shotgun and was inspecting the code displayed in front of her.  “Traynor, this does not look like anything I have ever seen.  How do you even know where we need to look?”

Traynor was entering commands as the machine language scrolled in front of her.  “Look for these symbols, Tali,” Sam sent a set of characters to the quarian’s omni-tool, “and download as much of the program as possible.  It’ll be a help to the migrant fleet.  In the meantime…” Sam had found the rogue command lines and introduced a block around them.  She was attempting to edit the one-line executable command when it happened.  “SHIT!”

Tali looked up to see Traynor in the grip of a massive electrical discharge coming from the terminal.  Without thinking, she grabbed her shotgun and blasted the terminal, severing its connection; the sudden disruption in current dropped Traynor to the deck in a heap.  Tali moved to kneel beside her companion, who groaned in response to Tali’s touch.  With the quarian’s help, she regained enough muscle control to get to her hands and knees.  “Ancestors, Samantha!  What happened!?”

“There was a trap built into that executable code,” Traynor responded weakly.  “I can’t eliminate that line, Tali, and I don’t know if my program blocks will be enough to prevent its execution.  Dammit!  Say what you will about Javik, he’s damn smart for being just a soldier.  I wouldn’t think he’d be capable of writing code like this.”

Tali thought for a few moments before offering, “Javik has had months to research the history of his people, Samantha.  It’s quite likely he learned to write machine language just from studying the archives.  This Reaper’s existence is only possible because of the obliteration of the Protheans.”

“You’re probably right, Tali,” Traynor said.  “Here, help me up.”  Regaining her feet with Tali’s assistance, she leaned against the railing where the terminal had been located.  The electrical discharge had left her with a raging headache, but no physical injuries she could find.  She stood away from the railing and began walking around the chamber, testing her body’s responses as she dosed herself with medigel, then took a drink of water from a pocket pouch before moving to the terminal Tali had been using.  She brought up the command lines and inspected them closely.

_“Žiuk’Durmah!  I think I bought us some time.  Have you completed your data transfer?”_

› _Transfer is complete, Traynor-Specialist_ … _all data has been duplicated and stored within First One and Esiz’Qür_.  _I have detected an electrical short-circuit, accompanied by gunfire._   _Are you still fully functional? _ ‹

_“I need to get to Javik.  I don’t know if my counter-measures will stop the execution of his rogue program, and I need to stop him, up close and personal.”_

› _My destruction will insure his death as well, Traynor-Specialist_.‹

_“I do not wish to see you die, Žiuk’Durmah.  Get us to him, now!”_

Žiuk’Durmah sent directions to her omni-tool.  › _As you wish, Traynor-Specialist_.‹

* * *

_**A/N:** Chapter 43 will be posted on the 31 st of the month.  My thanks for reading!_


	43. Finality of Extinction

_“Mostly extinct,” he said, his voice trembling with rage, “is NOT EXTINCT ENOUGH”.  -_ Cassandra Clare _, City of Ashes_

* * *

 ** _CIC_**  - Combat Information Center  
 _ **L** **iǔyè** **dāo** or **Li** **ǔy** **èdāo:**_ literally, a willow leaf saber.  Continuously curved blade w/sharpened back edge about a third of its 38-Cm length _ **  
Quonis’pi**_ – A fruit, native to Rannoch; similar to a Terran watermelon or cantaloupe  
 ** _XO_**  - Executive Officer

* * *

*** INSIDE THE ANCIENT REPOSITORY ŽIUK’DURMAH ***

Specialist Traynor and Tali’Zorah, following directions from Žiuk’Durmah, had jogged through a series of passageways and ridden several mind-numbingly harrowing lifts; these were floating disks of energy no more than three meters in diameter, with no other means of guidance than an ethereal curtain of more energy in the shape of a tube, leading up from whatever nightmare level they happened to be trying to leave.

As they hastily left the fourth of these vertical tubes behind, Traynor glanced into an open compartment and saw what looked to be a large number of power cells, stacked in neatly arrayed rows.  Literally skidding to a halt in front of this treasure trove, Traynor called out to Tali, who had gone on ahead.

“Hey!  Tali!  Take a look at these.”  Traynor resumed talking as Tali came back and stopped beside her.  “I’ve been thinking about what happens if we cannot stop Javik before he initiates his ‘destruct sequence’.  We just may have to jettison the entire eezo core, Tali, and with that core gone, there’ll be no power available to keep Žiuk’Durmah’s processes functional until we can get a fresh eezo core installed, connected and online.  These power cells may be our best chance of keeping him alive in the meantime.”

Tali was uncertain.  “Sounds reasonable, Traynor, but it would take us a bit of time to join these together and connect the lot of them to the power grid.  How much power does it… he, require to survive?”

› _Power requirements during hibernation, such as between harvest cycles, are minimal, Tali’Zorah-Admiral ,_‹  Žiuk’Durmah replied in their headsets.  › _Did I understand you plan to jettison my eezo core, Traynor-Specialist?_ ‹

“Only as a last resort, Žiuk’Durmah,” Traynor sighed.  “We intend to stop Javik from executing his program, but if we fail in the attempt, then dumping the core to space will be the only viable option.”  Traynor paused as she thought about what needed to be done.  “Žiuk’Durmah, how were you able to heal Javik and repair or replace his damaged armor after he attempted to murder me?”

› _There are several thousand bots residing within my structure ,_‹  the old machine answered.  › _They are only activated when there is a need I am unable to take care of.   Why do you ask? _‹

Traynor grinned as she looked at Tali. “Žiuk’Durmah, would it be possible for you to direct a number of these… what did you call them… bots? … direct them… to relocate these power cells and any others you have stored?  They could relocate them, connect them together, hook them into your grid as an independent power source for your life processes, then standby to actuate them if… and only if, we have to eject your eezo core.  The cells could sustain you.  We could get you to the Citadel… the prime relay, correct? … so we’d be able to supply power from outside – ‘shore’ power, we call it –  perhaps with help from the Keepers.”

There was silence for a number of minutes, long enough for Traynor to start worrying.  _“Žiuk’Durmah?”_

› _My apologies, Traynor-Specialist.   I am performing calculations._‹

There was another few minutes of silence, broken only by Tali as she yelled a protest.  “Keelah!… what the… ?”  She jumped aside and was ready to shoot whatever had just bumped the back of her legs.

› _My apologies, Tali’Zorah-Admiral.   I have activated a number of maintenance bots to perform the work as Traynor-Specialist has suggested.  Should my eezo core need to be jettisoned, there will be ample auxiliary power available to keep my processes functioning at ‘hibernation’ level until a replacement core can be installed._‹

“Žiuk’Durmah, we need you to do one more thing… ” Traynor said.

* * *

Javik had grown increasingly impatient with Žiuk’Durmah’s delay in transiting the Charon mass relay.  “Reaper-machine!” he said with the usual demanding tone of voice.  “I do not understand why you delay in traveling to the Citadel!  Surely this Charon relay must be repaired after all this time.”

Žiuk’Durmah response was terse.  › _Charon is deemed unsafe for travel at this time, Prothean.   My brethren are laboring to correct its mass calculator.  Inaccuracies in mass calculation are known to cause hyper-acceleration of space-fairing vessels, injuring or killing any or all aboard during deceleration at the receiving relay._‹

“If my people had not been destroyed by Reaper machines, we would not be having this conversation,” Javik countered.

› _Your statement rings true, but not for the reasons you think.   If your people **had** continued as they were, you yourself would have long since been dust, is this not so?_ ‹

“Bah!  It is as it always has been and ever shall be – there is no reasoning with an AI.”  He was more than ready to end this Reaper for good and all; the only thing staying his hand was his desire… no!… his need!… to have the result of his sabotage damage or destroy the Citadel and any ships in its vicinity.  So, he would wait.

As he moved towards the terminal on the desk that had been provided for his use, he stopped short.  Had he heard… something?  From behind him, perhaps.  He turned around slowly, studying the far wall and deck adjacent to the auxiliary hatch he’d once used to tour parts of the Reaper’s internal structure.  The hatch…

His previous attempts at opening the auxiliary hatch in this cubicle that had been his home, his ‘prison’ since leaving _Normandy_ , had always been dissuaded by the Reaper’s lie (it had to be a lie if said by a Reaper!) about the area beyond having low-to-no atmosphere.  He decided to try opening the hatch again; before he could touch the actuator, its segments unlatched with a soft clank and slowly hissed open to reveal a visitor… a visitor most unwelcome.

“Hello, Javik… didja miss me?”  Sam stepped carefully through the threshold, all her senses attuned to this room and its lone inhabitant.

“Traynor Huu-mon!  But how?… and why?… ”  Javik raised his arm in an effort to activate his omni-tool – he would bring an end once and for all to this meddling female and the abomination in which he had been riding.  He had failed to notice Traynor’s companion until every nerve end his body possessed was literally set ablaze with tingling pain such as he’d never known.

Traynor noticed Javik’s sudden paralysis and said, “Sorry Javik… I thought you saw my good friend Tali’Zorah vas Normandy.  Surely you haven’t forgotten her!  She disarmed you… damn near ended your miserable life that day you tried to murder me.  Looks like you missed her as well,” she concluded with a smirk.

“Hello Javik,” Tali said pleasantly as she waved her geth shotgun in his direction.  “Have I not introduced you to Chatika vas Paus? Her skills are quite impressive for a drone.”

Javik was more troubled by Traynor’s approach than either the blasted quarian or the drone floating and spinning near his head.  “What do you want, huu-mon female?  I have already told the asari and Shepard I will not apologize for attempting to kill you.”

“Ah, Javik, that’s kinda why I’m here.  You see, I made a mistake when I pulled my punches before, when I let you live.  I didn’t think I should be the cause of the final extinction of the Prothean race.”  Traynor had shifted into her fighting stance, weight on the balls of her feet, legs slightly bent at the knees, arms slightly raised as she slowly approached him.  “I’ve had some time to reflect, and I realize now that I made a bad choice… a _really_ bad choice.”  Traynor paused for a moment, tilted her head slightly and raised one eyebrow.  “I intend to correct that mistake today, Javik.  I’m going to kill you.”  She was now standing right in front of him.

Javik only had time to say, “Stupid huu-mon!  You have no weapons.  How… ?”  before his upper mouth plate exploded in a cloud of chitin fragments, bits of flesh and a liquid Traynor assumed was blood.  As he staggered backwards a good half-meter, the superior look in his four eyes gave way to one of intense pain.  He struggled to speak, to curse this arrogant female who dared to hit him in the face.  “In my time you would be flogged for such an act of disrespect.  How dare… ?”

Traynor hit him with her left this time, catching the point of his chin.  “You were asking about weapons?  They’re at the ends of my arms, roach.  I don’t need a gun to kill you.  I intend to beat you within an inch of your life, just for being such an insufferable, imperialistic fool.”  Javik tried to raise his arm, only to receive a fist in the middle of his abdomen, just below the inverted ‘V’ of his armor plates – this doubled him over as Traynor continued in a calm voice, “You don’t have the element of surprise or your biotics to assist you this time, Javik.  You’re nothing but a goddamned overgrown insect, something I’d normally scrape off the bottom of my boot.”  So saying, she performed a spinning three-quarter back kick, catching him square on the edge of his ridged head-plate with enough force to send him toppling to the deck.

To Traynor’s amazement, Javik was still semi-conscious; to her utter horror, he activated the omni-tool on his left arm; Tali fired her shotgun a split-second after he quickly pressed a flashing indicator within the glowing device.  The charged disrupter projectiles from Tali’s modified geth weapon hit his upper arm and shoulder, causing massive trauma and instant paralysis on that side as the charged projectiles shorted out his omni-tool and the blast impact slammed him up against the far wall.

Javik cried out in agony as he looked at Tali in shocked surprise; he then directed his hate-filled gaze back to Traynor, saying through his broken mouth, “Go ta ‘ell along wt dis ‘chine, hoonan ‘itch!”  Determined to engage again with this primitive female, to strangle her with his bare hands if he could, he managed to get to his knees; it was his last act of defiance… his last act ever in this cycle… a cycle in which he neither belonged nor wished to live.

Traynor hissed, “You miserable son of a drooling _whore!”_   as she reached over her shoulder with her right hand.

Tali watched in awe as Traynor pulled upwards on the curved handle protruding from behind her right shoulder, saw a blur as Sam moved her right arm forward then down in an arc in front of her as she raised her left arm straight out from her side; she heard the singing sigh of eternity echo in the air around her, followed by the sound a ripe quonis’pi made when sliced in half as Traynor swung her arm to the left.  She saw Javik’s head, nose and mouth shattered by Samantha’s fists, bounce and roll its way across the floor, finally coming to a stop near the right wall, blank four-eyed stare of pained surprise frozen in place for all time, splotches of green-tinged yellowish blood spattered in its wake.

“Keelah!  Traynor!  What in… ?”

Feet planted nearly a meter apart, Traynor stood still as death over Javik’s crumpled, headless body as his blood gradually drained and spread across the deck to pool underneath him; she slowly brought her left arm down as she turned the strangely curved long blade, itself still dripping yellowish, viscous liquid, to grip its canted hilt left hand over right.  She held the strange looking weapon vertically, point downward, in a two-handed grip, hilt in front of her chest; after several motionless seconds, she broke the eerie silence around them with a heavy sigh, looked around at the stunned quarian and quietly said, “Come on, Tali!  We need to get the ‘ell out of here!”

Traynor spoke into her comm link as she moved to the main hatch.  “Žiuk’Durmah, I thought you had his omni-tool blocked!  I didn’t stop ‘im in time… he managed to activate the code.”

Žiuk’Durmah answered in a tone that suggested embarrassment.  › _Traynor-Specialist.   I was too trusting.  Javik used a different sub-routine to introduce a code that would override every __attempt on my part to block the activation and use of any omni-tool_ _. I am sorry._‹

“I don’t know if my blocks will keep his code from completing its task.  I need all the exit hatches open!”  Samantha paused, then said, “Cortez!  Lock onto my comm signal and bring the shuttle up to the main chamber hatch!  Move!  If my programming mods don’t hold, we have less than ninety, ninety-five minutes until the shitter overflows!”

Wiping the curved blade on Javik’s sleeve, she returned it to its scabbard as Tali asked in awe, “What kind of weapon is that, Samantha?  I’ve never seen such a thing.”

The hatch irised open, allowing them access to the outer compartment where Samantha had angrily hit Liara and EDI so many weeks ago… felt like forever now.  The outer hatch for this compartment was already open; she was relieved to hear the sounds of a UT-47a climbing to meet them.  “It’s a Liǔyèdāo, Tali,” Traynor finally answered.  “Literally, a willow leaf saber… traditional sidearm of the military during the Ming and Qing dynasties in China, back on Earth.  I learned its use from Xiùlán… she actually gave this one to me… a token, she said, for saving her life.”

Steve brought the shuttle in as close to the open hatch as possible, allowing Tali and Samantha to jump inside.  He was already moving, turning to port and heading for the exit as the hatch segments slid and swung closed.

A different voice sounded in her ears over the comm.  › _Traynor-Specialist.   As you feared, the modified sub-routine is affecting the stability of the field coils… a collapse of the magnetic field is imminent.  Your shuttle is incapable of getting clear of the area before Žiuk’Durmah’s eezo core reaches critical mass.  I am sending a new vector to your navi-computer.  You and your craft will find safe haven within my structure._‹

 _‘Harbinger?’_ Traynor thought as she took a seat beside Lieutenant Cortez and asked, “You have a virtual cockpit in this thing, Lieutenant?”

“You bet,” he replied as he touched a control.  The entire front wall of the flight deck appeared to become transparent, giving them a view of Žiuk’Durmah’s interior coming to meet them at high-speed, the open exit portal with its blue-tinged kinetic barrier centered in their field of view.

Samantha activated her comm-link and asked, “Harbinger, are you close by?”

› _Affirmative, Traynor-Specialist.   This Guardian will shelter you from the impending destruction of Žiuk’Durmah._‹

_“Is there any way you or Esiz’Qür can protect his computer core, save it somehow?”_

Steve had allowed the auto-pilot to take over navigation.  The shuttle soared through the opening at 2400 Km/h and made an immediate hard ‘climbing’ turn to starboard before accelerating in a straight line for the dark shape blotting out the stars behind it.

› _Why do you wish this, Traynor-Specialist?_ ‹

“The computer core _is_ Žiuk’Durmah, is it not?  Is there any way to erect a mass effect field around the core, protect it from the blast, save that which is Žiuk’Durmah?”

› _To be near enough to envelop Žiuk’Durmah’s computer core would require the Repository generating the field to be in the immediate blast zone.   Not survivable._‹

“Then we have to eject the entire core.”

Žiuk’Durmah interrupted, › _There is insufficient time, Traynor-Specialist.   There is time for your shuttle to enter First One’s structure, time for First One and Esiz’Qür to get far enough away to avoid damage from my destruction.  You have insured my data concerning the Protheans will not die with me.  You have shown me… you care, not just about other humans, or… other races.  You have shown empathy for… me.  That a human… and a quarian… would risk their own existence to prevent the destruction of one seen as an enemy by so many?  I am… humbled… Samantha Traynor, Tali’Zorah._‹

Cortez continued to monitor the shuttle’s flight path as the auto-pilot slowed the velocity of their approach to the entrance under Harbinger’s wide-spread arms.  “Just as creepy as the first time we did this with Žiuk’Durmah,” Cortez muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

Tali was standing, looking over Steve’s shoulder at the virtual display.  “Can we get eyes on Žiuk’Durmah, Lieutenant?”

Cortez responded by pressing several controls, resulting in a display panel on the port side offering up an image of the stricken Repository.

Opening a ship-to-ship comm channel, Steve asked, “Joker?  Is Normandy at a safe distance?”

_“Affirmative, Lieutenant.  Just waiting for the flash.”_

“Send an emergency alert on all channels,” Cortez replied.  “Anyone needing to use the relay must delay transit!  Recommend holding at mean orbital distance of Uranus, or maybe even Saturn.  We don’t know what kind of shockwave this thing will generate.”

_“We’re on it, Cortez.  Commander wants to know… are Tali and the specialist safe?”_

“We’re all okay, Normandy.  Docking inside Harbinger in thirty seconds.”

 _“Understood, Lieutenant._ Normandy _out.”_

* * *

*** SSV STALINGRAD • LEVEL ONE, FLIGHT DECK ***

Lieutenant Commander Terrance Russo asked his comm officer to repeat the message; upon hearing it again, he directed his attention to the pilots in front of his chair and said, “Helm!  Immediate course change… there’s some kind of trouble near Charon.  _Normandy_ is in the system; lock onto her transponder signal and take us there.  Drop out of FTL within twenty klicks of her position, understood?”

His pilot was repeating the instructions back word-for-word as Russo felt the shuddering in the deck and railings indicating Stalingrad was decelerating rapidly as it executed a hard turn to port.

Russo keyed up the ship wide intercom and said, “Captain to the bridge, please.”

* * *

*** INSIDE THE ANCIENT REPOSITORY HARBINGER ***

Traynor was not ready to throw in the towel.  “Lieutenant, we’re not done yet, not by a damned sight!  Take us to the back door in this chamber.”

Cortez looked around at her with the pitying gaze one reserves for dealing with the mentally unbalanced and answered, “You sure, Traynor?”

“I need to access a terminal inside.  There’s still time to eject his core and get away from it before it goes critical.”

She reactivated her comm link: “Harbinger, I need access to a terminal, now, and I need you to link with Žiuk’Durmah’s power and weapons controls.”

› _To what purpose, Traynor-Specialist?_ ‹

Traynor could see Cortez had started moving the shuttle towards the rear hatch.  “I intend to eject Žiuk’Durmah’s eezo core before it reaches critical mass,” Traynor said.  “Tali and I had Žiuk’Durmah join a bunch of spare power cells together and connect the lot into his processors.  It’ll keep his cognitive functions alive long enough for you and Esiz’Qür to get ‘im to the Citadel.  The keepers can hook ‘im into shore power, keep ‘im alive until a new eezo core and control assembly can be installed.

› _The action you propose has never been attempted ,_‹ replied the ancient voice.  › _Why do you not accept the inevitable? _ ‹

“Goddammit, Harbinger, that sounds just like the ‘old’ you, when you were telling Shepard your fucking harvest of organic life was inevitable!  Žiuk’Durmah’s destruction is _not_ inevitable until it actually happens!” Traynor contested hotly.  “There’s a surplus of wrecked Reapers on the surface and in orbit around my home planet.  Surely there are intact eezo cores we can scavenge for Žiuk’Durmah!  We cannot simply sit on our hands and wait for the explosion!  Now let me the ‘ell inside and open a fuckin’ terminal!”

Cortez crabbed the shuttle up to the round hatch at the chamber’s rear.  Traynor looked at Tali, grinned and asked, “You coming, Tali?”

“You have to ask?  Lead on, Specialist.”

Traynor opened the shuttle’s hatch as Cortez kept it idling next to the Reaper entrance.  “Open up, Harbinger!” As the entry hatch irised open, she jumped the gap and quickly moved aside to make room for Tali.  “Harbinger, lights?  Terminal?”

› _Through the next doorway, Traynor-Specialist.   Calculations predict my link to Žiuk’Durmah needs termination within thirty-two minutes.  Make haste._‹

“No argument here… ”

Followed closely by Tali, Traynor hurried through the empty compartment to a hatch in the opposite wall; the compartment beyond appeared little different from the similar location inside Žiuk’Durmah, with the exception of the patterning on the walls and ceiling, seemingly even more ancient and alien than those inside the other giant.  There were several terminals along one wall, all configured for interaction by someone equipped with three to six digits on each appendage.  “Tali, you’re the propulsion engineer – use this terminal… ,” Traynor pointed as she strode past, “… and disconnect all the power couplings from the core while I work on ejecting it.  Just think of Žiuk’Durmah as another dreadnought sized ship.”

Traynor logged into Harbinger’s main terminal, linked it to its counterpart within Žiuk’Durmah and began searching through the lines of program code that controlled every aspect of the machine’s behavior.  She skipped past vast amounts of the more mundane programming until she came upon that which dealt with the power core.  _‘Damn thing had to have been installed and powered when Žiuk’Durmah was constructed,’_ she thought silently as she searched.  _‘I just need to find the outer access hatch… ’_

Meanwhile, Tali had found and disconnected nearly every coupling drawing power from the core.  Just before she ‘pulled’ the final one, Žiuk’Durmah spoke in their comm links one last time.  › _I am losing … awareness… Traynor-Specialist.  Is this… what… dying… feels… like?_‹

“You are not dying, Žiuk’Durmah, but I need you to have the last repair bot connect the power cell array to your cognition processors.  As soon as that’s done, you need to place all memory banks and processors into stand-by; shut down, go into hibernation, just as if you were in dark space waiting for the end of another cycle.  Decrease your power usage to the bare minimum.”

Keying her comm link, she requested a favor.  “Esiz’Qür, I need you to grapple with Žiuk’Durmah… lock your appendages onto his ventral structure, envelope him with a mass reduction field and prepare to transit the relay for the Widow system immediately _after_ I eject his eezo core.  It’s the only way we can save him from the core explosion.  Inform me as soon as you’re ready, and hurry, please.  We’re running out of time.”

Traynor had written a small program that would automatically execute several consecutive actions within milliseconds of each other; it could be initiated from her omni-tool once she and Tali returned to the shuttle and strapped in for what Sam felt would be a wild ride through the relay.  “You ready, Tali?”

“I just need to initiate the final command to disconnect Žiuk’Durmah from his power grid,” Tali responded in a quiet voice.  She coughed in an attempt to clear her throat and asked, “Are you sure there’s no other way, Samantha?”

“If there is, I don’t see it, Tali,” Traynor replied, pained expression on her face.  “Žiuk’Durmah will most certainly die if we don’t take action.  By hibernating on power cells, he can safely lose his eezo core while we correct the programming errors and find another core for his use.  It’s our only chance to save ‘im.”

Harbinger spoke to them through their comm links: › _Traynor-Specialist; Tali’Zorah-Admiral.   Esiz’Qür will secure Žiuk’Durmah in his appendages; additionally, he has a mass-reduction envelope ready to deploy as soon as the core is ejected.  We will go to the relay and transit for the Widow System.  Once there, we will find a dock for Žiuk’Durmah so we may procure another eezo core for him.  We will instruct the Keepers to connect him to Citadel shore power to keep cognitive functions from dying._‹

Traynor took a deep breath.  “Tali, pull the plug and let’s go.”

Tali executed the final command to disconnect Žiuk’Durmah from his internal power grid, then turned and ran for the exit, followed closely by Traynor.  As the pair jumped into the hovering shuttlecraft, Traynor hollered, “Get this thing parked, Lieutenant – we’re in for a ‘ell of a ride!”

Strapping herself into the copilot’s seat, she watched the monitor showing Žiuk’Durmah as she activated her omni-tool.  Muttering, “Say your prayers, everybody,” she activated the mini-program to trigger the core ejection and looked back at the monitor.  Within seconds, a blue-tinged, white-hot mass of eezo had blown out the engineering access hatch just aft of Žiuk’Durmah’s six ventrally mounted appendages.  “Now, Esiz’Qür!  Grab him and make for the relay!  Move it!”

Shifting her attention, she said, “Lieutenant, split display monitor - relay and Esiz’Qür on one side, eezo core on the other.”

The display showed Esiz’Qür latching onto the now powerless, drifting Repository.  A faint glow began to grow and surround the stricken machine as Esiz’Qür began moving for the relay… blue-shifted emissions trailing from his ‘tail’ as Esiz’Qür fully powered the mass reduction field.  Lowering the mass of the incapacitated Reaper was the only way for Esiz’Qür to securely hold onto Žiuk’Durmah while attaining FTL for both of them to make the transit through the relay.

“Harbinger, are we far enough away from that thing?”  Traynor asked.

› _Distance is insufficient, Traynor-Specialist.   We must travel through the relay to be certain_.‹

“Time to detonation?”

› _Minutes.   We will begin relay transit as the core detonates._‹

“Lieutenant Cortez, hail the _Normandy_ \- give them and any other ship in the area a sitrep.”

“Aye-aye, Ma’am.”  As Steve talked quietly to Joker, Harbinger activated a dual count-down display on Traynor’s right; forward half showing time-to-relay, rear half counting down time-to-core-explosion.  It appeared to Traynor that both counters would reach zero simultaneously.

As Esiz’Qür crossed the first navigational threshold, the relay began its ponderous dance to realign with the Widow System relay.  It stopped moving as its gyroscopic rings increased their rotational speed, causing the bluish-white eezo core to glow hotter and whiter.  As Esiz’Qür, hugging the now powerless Žiuk’Durmah, crossed the secondary navigational threshold, the relay opened an immense corridor in space-time linked with the Widow System relay and propelled the pair of immense machines into the rift.

Within minutes, Harbinger relayed a message to the shuttle: › _Esiz’Qür has safely reached the Widow System with Žiuk’Durmah and is moving towards the Citadel.   Žiuk’Durmah should be docked and receiving maintenance power from the station by our arrival time._‹  Harbinger continued with, › _Standby for relay transit._ ‹

As they crossed Nav Point One, the relay’s gyroscopic rings again increased rotational speed in anticipation of the next transit.  Just before Harbinger crossed Nav Two, Žiuk’Durmah’s eezo core ‘detonated’ (Traynor afterwards likened it to a slow-motion core expansion), causing the monitor to flare to a white screen.  The shock wave reached them just as Harbinger crossed Nav Two and entered the space-time corridor opened by the relay.

Traynor cried out as the shuttle was pitched up from the deck in the bottom of the docking chamber – Cortez was a great pilot, probably the best small spacecraft pilot in the Alliance, but the shuttle hadn’t been designed to be tossed around and bounced off unyielding structural members inside a massive hanger.

He managed to keep the passenger compartment damage to a minimum, but the multiple impacts sheared off the port side aft thruster pod and severely bent the pivot points of the others, permanently ending its flying days.

* * *

*** SSV STALINGRAD • DECK ONE, FLIGHT DECK ***

Captain Martinez arrived on the flight deck just as the ship pulled alongside and slowed to match _Normandy_ ’s velocity.  “What’s happening, Russo?”

“Trouble at the relay, Sir.  Apparently an eezo core went critical and is about to explode.  Warning was sent to all traffic.  We’ve dropped out of FTL and are standing twenty klicks off the _Normandy’s_ port bow.”  Russo finished with, “I was just getting ready to hail her, Sir.”

“Very well, Commander.  Carry on,” Martinez replied.  As Russo made contact with _Normandy_ , he thought back to the day he had toured the Hong Kong as a guest of SC Yuán and Captain Bill Cody.  Meeting Yuán Xiùlán had opened his eyes and led to improved procedures that made everyone’s life on the Stalingrad so much better.

Russo had really blossomed as ship’s XO… his level of confidence was so much better since he’d been given the freedom to oversee the crew and run the ship as he felt would best serve the needs of everyone, resulting in a much happier and more efficient crew.  The atmosphere onboard was just as professional while being a bit more relaxed.  Martinez was no longer micro-managing the entire ship, a huge improvement in his own life on board.

Russo intruded on his thoughts with, “ _Normandy_ is going to the Citadel, Sir.  I requested they take our guest with them, since we still have work to do in Earth orbit.  They’ve agreed to do so, and are sending a shuttle over for transport.”

“Very good, Terry.  I’ll go inform our guest.”  Martinez left the flight deck and made his way to the small galley and mess area on deck two.  Massani was lounging at one of the tables, nursing an icy mug of ale as he studied the info displayed on a datapad.

“Massani, we have a ride to the Citadel for you,” Martinez said as he sat down across from the grizzled old merc.  “And as luck would have it, you’ll be flying in the _Normandy_.”

Zaeed glared at the captain as he growled, “I don’ know as I’d call that luck, Cap’n.  More like punishment, puttin’ me on that ship agin.”  He took a long pull off the mug, wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and continued.  “Can’t say I blame ya for wanting ter be shed of me, and it’ll be nice to see Joker agin.  I’ll get me gear and head down ter the hanger deck.  And thanks… fer your hospitality.  It was good ter meet ya.”  Zaeed finished his drink, picked up the data pad and left, leaving Martinez to wonder about the wisdom of enlisting the old merc to go after the Blue Suns.  _‘Ah well… he’ll be Cody’s problem soon enough… ,’_ he thought to himself as he stood and walked back to his own quarters.

* * *

*** INSIDE THE ANCIENT REPOSITORY HARBINGER ***

The vibrations caused by the stress of relay travel gradually lessened and stopped as Harbinger decelerated to less than FTL and spoke in their headsets with some urgency.  › _Traynor-Specialist!  __Cortez-Lieutenant!   Tali’Zorah-Admiral.  Status.  Please respond._‹  After a ten-second pause, Harbinger tried again, this time with a slight hint of desperation in its ancient voice: › _Traynor-Specialist!  __Cortez-Lieutenant!   Tali’Zorah-Admiral.  Status.  Please respond._‹

Traynor slowly raised her head, looked at Cortez, who was just regaining his own senses; unbuckling her harness, she attempted to get her eyes to focus as she groggily replied without activating her comm link, “Zatchu, Harbinger?  Whatthehell?  Did we make it?”

She slowly moved around the partition to check on Tali, who was still strapped into her seat.  Touching her shoulder elicited a low groan.  “Tali? You still with us?”

Her luminescent eyes could be seen blinking behind her mask.  “Traynor?  I’m… okay, I think… really got rattled around.  What just happened?”

Remembering to activate her comm link this time, she replied, “Harbinger, we’re alive, but I think our shuttle is scrap.  Did we make it to the Widow System?”

› _It is good_ … _to once again hear your voice, Traynor-Specialist_.  _We did not complete the journey to Widow.   Standby… _‹  Harbinger did not keep them waiting long.  › _Core explosion shockwave disturbed Charon relay orientation as we entered the space-time corridor ; connection with the Widow relay was severed during transit.  Current position is above galactic plane, positive ‘Z’; closest mass relay is Pranas System, Annos Basin.  Destination coordinates reset; resuming maximum FTL velocity for Pranas System._‹

“Can you establish a link with Normandy?” Traynor asked.

› _Affirmative, Traynor-Specialist_.‹

Still harnessed into his seat, Cortez was finally regaining consciousness; he looked at Samantha and said with a groan, “Damn!  That’s one trip I don’t look forward to repeating.  What the hell happened?”

“Hang on while I talk to _Normandy_ ,” she replied.  “That way I only have to explain it once… don’t know if I can do too much talking with the headache I’m dealing with now.”

› _Standby, Normandy-shuttle.   Normandy-frigate is now online_.‹

“Thanks, Harbinger.  Have you calculated our ETA to the Pranas System?”

› _Information is available on the countdown chronometer beside you._ ‹

“ _Normandy_ … _Normandy_ … this is Shuttle Zero-Delta-Two, please respond.”  Traynor held her breath as she waited for an answer.

_“Shuttle Delta-Two, this is Normandy… Traynor?  Is that you?”_

Sam let out a sigh of relief at the sound of Joker’s voice, even with the distortion caused by time and distance.  “Alive and kicking, Flight Lieutenant.  What’s your status?… any damages from the core explosion?”

 _“Negative.  Shock wave had pretty well dissipated by the time it reached our location,”_ Joker replied.  _“We’re heading for the relay as we speak.”_

“Don’t go through the relay just yet, Normandy,” Traynor instructed.  “We had a problem during our transit.  Is Commander Shepard on the bridge?”

_“I’m here, Traynor.  What’s up?”_

_‘Shepard always sounds so ‘in control’,’_ Traynor thought silently as she explained all that had happened after she’d ejected Žiuk’Durmah’s eezo core.  She concluded with, “You’ll need to make sure the relay has correctly realigned with the Widow relay before making the trip, Commander.”

_“Understood, Specialist.  Ahh-h-h, what about Javik? I cannot imagine any meeting between the two of you went well.”_

“Oh, he’s still aboard Žiuk’Durmah.  I have video… ”

 _“… of course you do, Specialist,”_ Shepard interrupted.  _“Just give me the highlights.”_

Traynor continued with, “Right.  Well… it was as I expected, Ma’am.  Short story? Bastard left me no choice.  After Tali shot ‘im, I, ahh, separated his head from his body.  The Prothean race is well and truly extinct, Ma’am.”

Traynor heard Shepard sigh heavily in resignation.  _“Traynor, you and I need to have a long conversation… perhaps over glasses of brandy in the loft, once you return.”_

“I wasn’t aware you were able to imbibe, Ma’am,” Traynor snarked.

 _“Well, we’ll let EDI stand in for me on the drinking.  We **do** need to have a private conversation, Samantha.”_  Shepard’s voice had a contemplative quality.  _“You remind me of a young Navy lieutenant I once knew.  Hated batarians… still does, though not so much as before.”_

“Whatever you say, Ma’am.”  Traynor wasn’t worried about what anyone thought of her actions.  There was no going back, for her, and certainly not for Javik.

Shepard finished with, _“We’ll contact you when we reach the relay.  Logging you out.”_


	44. Reaching Safe Harbor, Leaving Refuge

_There is a kind of magicness about going far away and then coming back all changed.  –_ Kate Douglas Wiggin _, New Chronicles of Rebecca_

* * *

 ** _FTL_** \- Faster Than Light  
**_Liǔyè dāo_** – literally, a willow leaf saber (柳葉軍刀), short sword with a continuously curved blade; some of which feature a sharpened back edge from the tip back about a third of the 96.5 centimeter length.  
**_Oscar-Mike_** – Military phonetic alphabet letters **_O_** and  ** _M_** , translates to _“On the Move.”_

* * *

*** HARBINGER · AT LARGE, SOMEWHERE BETWEEN THE LOCAL CLUSTER AND WIDOW SYSTEM ***

Harbinger delved deep into his machine heart, attempting to discover if there was a way to achieve even greater velocity.  As the first Harvester constructed, ancient almost as the galaxy in which he currently traveled, he had a thirty percent maximum velocity advantage over every Harvester/Repository constructed afterwards.  Traveling in excess of 14,200 times light speed [4.27 billion Km/sec.], he was attempting to reach the Annos Basin, home cluster of the amphibian race known to this cycle as salarians.  The relay in the Pranas system had been repaired and could be used for transit to the Citadel.

The space/time corridor between Charon and Widow had been breached a third of the way along its length after Žiuk’Durmah’s eezo core had been ejected from his structure by the human, Traynor-Specialist.  Its controlling magnetic field, collapsing as a result of sabotage by the last Prothean, had then exploded, instantly releasing a small fraction of the energy generated by the destruction of the Alpha relay; the shockwave, occurring close to Charon, had overwhelmed the relay’s ‘station-keeping’ programming, resulting in a position change during the several seconds Harbinger was transiting space/time.  Harbinger had been flung out of that space/time corridor in a ‘positive Z’ direction, coming to a virtual stop some eighty light years away from the salarian home system.  He decided he must speak with Traynor-Specialist and her companions in the Alliance shuttle he was carrying.

Specialist Samantha Traynor was eating from one of the emergency ration packs she had hurriedly stashed inside the shuttle before they left Normandy on their mission to stop Javik from destroying Žiuk’Durmah.  Although the stuff would sustain life, it was anything _but_ haute cuisine.

She glanced at her quarian friend; facemask and helmet off, her nose was wrinkled in apparent disgust at her rations.  “How you doing, Tali?  Looks like you’d rather be eating week-old pyjak meat than whatever passes for emergency dextro food in your kit,” she said with a smirk.

Tali swallowed and took a drink of the specially purified water.  “Not amusing, Traynor.  I _am_ grateful you thought to include rations for me, but this stuff was never meant to be anything more than sustenance.”  She poked around in the box of rations and gasped, her former grimace at her food replaced by a delighted smile.  “Turian chocolate?  Oh, Samantha… did you pilfer this from Vakarian’s supplies?”

“Nope.  He gave that to me right before he and Liara left aboard Iringù-Eßizkur,” Traynor replied with a smile of her own.  “Said it was for you… didn’t want you to forget ‘ _your_ ’ turian.”

“Keelah!”  Tali laughed with joy at the thoughtfulness of ‘ _her’_ turian.  “I hope we get to the Citadel soon.”

Steve Cortez had been quiet… a bit _too_ quiet for Traynor’s liking.  “What’s the matter, Lieutenant?  Food not agreeing with you?”

“Oh, the food’s fine… well, it fills the hole, which is what it’s designed to do, I guess,” he answered with a glum tone.  “I was just thinking about Ferris Fields, before the war, before the Reapers… ”

* * *

*** NORMANDY DECK FIVE • SHUTTLE BAY ***

Shuttle Delta-one settled into its cradle just inside the hanger bay ramp.  As the power converters and environmental pumps spooled down in step with the subtly lessening whine of the ME generators, the split port side hatch opened to reveal the familiar face of Zaeed Massani; stepping down onto the deck, he looked forward past the still closing ramp and caught a quick view of the _Stalingrad_ as it ignited its four main burners and rapidly disappeared on its trip back to Earth orbit.

He turned to his right and started walking towards the elevator as he noticed a mountain of a man walking towards him.  ‘ _Must work on those muscles all day every day…_ ’ Massani mused as the meat mountain stopped in front of him and stuck out his right hand.

“Zaeed Massani?  Lieutenant James Vega, Alliance Marines.  Major Alenko asked me to escort you to the conference room on deck two.”

Zaeed cautiously allowed his hand to be swallowed up by Vega’s huge mitt; the man didn’t exert any unusual pressure in his grasp, causing Zaeed to silently sigh in relief.  Some guys just felt like they had to crush any hand they managed to grab.  “Good ta meetcha, Vega.  I see tha ship’s flyin’ Alliance colors now… any crew left from before?”

“You mean before Shepard destroyed a batarian star system?  Not sure who was on board for missions prior to that.  Probably Doctor Chakwas… the two engineers…  Daniels and Donnelly… they’re up on four.  Joker’s still in the pilot’s seat.  Tali’Zorah is back, although she’s currently on a mission with Traynor and Cortez… you don’t know either of them.”

Vega touched the elevator call button; the split door retracted and they entered the compartment.  Before selecting deck two, Vega touched the comm link in his ear and said, “Passengers are on board, Major, hanger deck secure.”  He listened for a few seconds before signing off with a crisp “Yes, Sir.”

As he entered the security code for deck two, Vega looked at Massani and said, “Major’s waiting for you in the conference room.”

As the car stopped and the segmented door opened onto the CIC, Massani heard and felt the increased vibrations as the pilot… must be Joker… simultaneously increased the inertial dampening field to 100% and throttled the four main engines up in stages to 95% of their maximum thrust.  “We’re heading for the Charon relay,” Vega reported.

Zaeed followed Vega around to the starboard side and through the door to the new (to him) security checkpoint.  “Wha’s this, then?”  he asked, easing his way through the weapons scanner.

“Ship was in the middle of a major refit when we left Earth to gather support for the war.  Conference room’s through here,” Vega responded over his shoulder; he stood aside as the inner hatch unlocked and opened, revealing the plexi-walled conference room, currently occupied by Major Kaidan Alenko, who looked up, then stood and offered a hand as Massani entered the transparent enclosure.

“Massani, good to meet you.  Shepard’s told me a lot about you… all of it bad, I’m afraid.”

Zaeed grinned at this.  Of course, Shepard’s regard for him wasn’t love, but they had gotten along well enough after that business at the refinery.  “I espec’ most of wha’ she told ya was lies, then?  You in command here?”

Alenko smiled as he replied.  “Interesting question, actually.  Pull up a chair so we can chat.  Can I get you something?  Coffee, or tea, perhaps?”

“I’d really like a frosty pint, but hot tea’d be nice, thanks.”

Kaidan glanced at Private Campbell, who had been quietly monitoring Massani since his arrival, and nodded his head; she quietly turned and left the passageway as she used her comm link to request a tea service for two from the galley.

Alenko turned serious as he directed his attention back to Massani.  “I’m sure you must have a few questions for me.  I’ll answer anything I can that doesn’t compromise security protocols.”

“Not that it’s any concern o’ mine, but the little bit o’ the ship I seen on tha way up here seemed a lot… I dunno… messier than before… cables, open conduits,” tilting his head towards the aft end of the compartment, he continued, “containers stacked all over.”

Alenko smiled again.  “ _Normandy_ was confiscated from Cerberus when Shepard docked at the Navy Yard in Vancouver, before the Reapers attacked.  This area,” indicating the space in which they were sitting, “was the laboratory before.  The armory was on the port side of this deck, QEC in between.  The Lab was eliminated, armory relocated to the hanger deck.  War room and QEC is at the end of the passageway past this compartment, only way in or out.  Navy was refitting the ship, reconfiguring her to bring ‘er in line with Alliance ship design philosophy.  Didn’t have time to completely button ‘er up… Reapers invaded, _Normandy_ escaped with Commander Shepard.  You probably know the rest.”

Kaidan looked up as Private Campbell reentered with a whispered, “Excuse me, gentlemen,” bearing a tray containing a steaming teapot and two mugs.  Setting the tray down in front of the major, she asked, “Is there anything else, Sir?”

Kaidan looked up at her and smiled.  “Thank you, Sarah.  That will be all.”  He returned her salute with a smile, then turned back to his guest.  Filling the two mugs with fresh hot tea, he set one of them in front of Zaeed.  Taking a sip of his own, he paused as a voice from the ship’s intercom filled the room.

_“Major?…  Bridge.  We’ve arrived at Charon.  No other ships in the vicinity.  Permission to set course and head for the Citadel?”_

Alenko asked, “Have you entered your destination coordinates and ship’s mass?”

_“Destination and mass figures laid in, Sir.  The relay has responded by reorienting itself.”_

“Then make it happen, Flight Lieutenant.  Be sure you’re ready to dodge relay traffic at Widow… I expect they’re rather busy.”

 _“Seriously, Major?”_ came the snarky reply.  _“After my performance dodging shit in the Tartarus Debris Field, I would hope you’d have a little more faith in my skills than that.”_

“Not calling your skills into question, Flight Lieutenant…” Kaidan replied smoothly.  “… just thinking about the rest of the idiots flying around out there without the benefit of your many years of piloting experience.  Alenko out.”

Zaeed chuckled at the exchange between Kaidan and the _Normandy_ ’s smart-assed pilot.  “Same ol’ Joker, eh Major?  Good ta see some things never change.”  The old Merc took a sip of tea, shook his head and chuckled again as he set the mug down.

Kaidan picked up his mug and sipped some more tea.  “Looks like your stay on board may be minimal, Massani.  We’re going into dry dock at the Citadel… Alliance will be finishing the retrofits, crew will most likely be changed out.  I believe you’ll ultimately be placed aboard the _Hong Kong II_ … frigate not too unlike _Normandy_ … built as a replacement after the original was destroyed by Sovereign in ‘83.”

“That the ship captained by Bill Cody?  Is ‘e the one the Suns tried to murder?”

“Not just him.  Made a couple of attempts on his XO and… Miranda Lawson.”

Massani sat silent for several seconds before replying, “She’s on the _Hong Kong_ , then?  They found her?”

“Rescued her from the Suns in Vancouver.  She was chained up in a small room, half-starved, beaten… savagely.  Hong Kong's XO led a small team, got her out, back to the ship.  She's been in therapy and had several stints in hospital.”  Kaidan finished his tea.  “She’s going to help us find some needed resources, stuff Cerberus had hidden.”

Massani sat silently as he drank his tea, then nodded his head as he said, “I can see why Cody would want to go after the Suns.”

Kaidan asked, “Would you like to look around, maybe say ‘hello’ to Joker and Chakwas?”

“Sure, why not.  Always nice ta see old ‘quaintances agin.”

Kaidan glanced at Sarah Campbell, who’d been watching from the doorway beside her station.  As she moved towards them, Kaidan rose from his seat and held out his hand.  “The private here will escort you, Massani.”  Looking at Private Campbell as he shook Zaeed’s hand, he said, “Escort Mr Massani to the hanger deck when you’re done, Private.”

“Aye, Sir.”  She saluted Alenko, then spoke to Massani as he was finishing his tea, “If you’ll follow me, Sir?”

Zaeed didn’t even roll his eyes at her use of the word… wouldn’t do any goddamn good.

* * *

*** INSIDE THE ANCIENT REPOSITORY HARBINGER ***

A chiming tone accompanied a flashing indicator that illuminated on both rear side panels in the crew compartment of Shuttle delta-two, lying damaged at the bottom of the chamber in which Harbinger had carried five Alliance vessels and one turian vessel from Arcturus Stream to the Sol system.  Steve Cortez, seated closest to one side, ‘touched’ the Haptic indicator to open the comm channel and was not surprised, given the lack of any video, to hear the deep tones of the ancient entity in which they were traveling.

› _Cortez-Lieutenant ; Traynor-Specialist; Tali’Zorah-Admiral; it is necessary that I provide a status update on your… our… situation.  Travel towards Pranas system relay in Annos Basin continues.  I am relaying positional data to the navigation terminal in your vessel.  Travel time to the relay will be two standard days._‹

Cortez looked past the bulkhead at his navigation terminal.  “My god!  Harbinger, what is your actual speed?”

› _Maximum sustainable velocity … using your standard for distance/time measurement, 4.27 billion kilometers a second._‹  Harbinger’s ‘tone’ of speech shifted slightly, indicating embarrassment.  › _Once thrown clear of the relay-created space/time corridor, I was unable to reduce my speed before traveling eighty light years above the galactic plane._ ‹

Traynor had been listening - she quickly did the math in her head and interrupted, “Harbinger – you are moving quite a bit faster than we expect any Repository should be capable of achieving.  Rough estimate?  About 29-30 percent faster.  How is this possible?”

› _All Repositories subsequent to my creation had less capable eezo core installations._ ‹

Cortez quickly stood in the small compartment and changed the subject in a halting voice, asking, “Harbinger, is there any… that is, do you have a place…”

Traynor could see where Steve was going and finished for him, “… Harbinger, we need a place to relieve ourselves.”

› _What sort of relief do you desire, Traynor-Specialist?_ ‹

Traynor grinned at Steve as she replied, _“Human digestive systems produce liquid and semi-solid waste which must be eliminated on a regular basis.  Myself, I really need to pee… that is, I have liquid waste I must eliminate… the need is beginning to be urgent.  I would prefer to accomplish this before I make my clothing wet.  Is there someplace outside the shuttlecraft that we may use?”_

Harbinger, having never transported non-converted organics in the many millions of years of his existence, replied, › _Standby … Researching._‹  After several minutes, he announced, › _I have created a place outside your craft that should be suitable.   Please inform me if it does not meet your standards for such a facility._‹

Cortez looked at Traynor as she thanked Harbinger and signed off.  “Go, Cortez.  Just try’n not dribble on the seat, okay?”

Cortez opened the hatch, or at least attempted to.  “Shit!  The frame on this bird must be really tweaked.”  He tried the other side and was relieved the upper section tilted up as always, although the lower, sliding portion refused to budge.  “Well, at least we’re not trapped in here.”  He left by straddling the top of the lower hatch section and walked around the shuttle.

After several minutes of silence, Traynor began to get worried, asking over her personal comms-link, “Cortez?  Where in ‘ell… ”

 _“… be right in, Specialist,”_ came the reply.  _“My needs were a bit more… time consuming.”_

By now, Traynor’s need to ‘go’ had become urgent; she carefully threw her legs over the lower hatch and dropped onto the decking outside.  “Cortez!  Zip it up!  I’m Oscar-Mike!”

Steve appeared from the broken shuttle’s stern, plainly not used to having to share facilities with a woman.  “Sorry, Traynor.  Harbinger was good as his word, but it’s a unisex facility, and not very private.”  He walked up to the hatch, peered inside and asked, “Tali?  You good?”

“My envirosuit will meet my needs for the duration of our time inside, Lieutenant, but thanks for asking,” she responded in a cheery voice.  “However, I _would_ like to see what Harbinger created for _your_ use.”

Traynor hurriedly stalked around the nose of the shuttle to find what amounted to little more than a combat latrine – a circular seat over what appeared to be a raised, bowl-shaped container, sitting out in the open about eight meters from the shuttle.  Thinking, _‘Steve, your gift for understatement is admirable!’_ she marched up to the newly-created ‘loo’, although using that term for… this… this _thing_ … gave it _way_ too much cachet.  After a quick glance into the bowl that had her nose involuntarily wrinkling at the odor, she quickly glanced around, dropped her pants to her knees and sat.  Relief had never felt so good.

Just as her stream lessened and stopped, she spotted Tali coming towards her from the shuttle’s bow.  “The Lieutenant thought you might have need to use one or two of these,” she said, holding a package of sterile emergency field dressings.  She giggled as she handed the package to Traynor and added, “You’re lucky.  I have a catheter inserted in my… well, you know where… ”

“Not so sure a catheter wouldn’t be a better option for assignments like this, Tali,” Traynor observed as she gratefully accepted the package; after using one of the wipes and pulling her pants back up, she observed wryly, “I’ll just leave the rest of these here – I have a feeling Steve may need to make a brief return trip.”

“Interesting that you would say that; he _said_ he’d have to come back out here shortly.”

“Come on – let’s get back inside the shuttle,” Samantha said as she looked around the huge chamber.  “Insides of this place gives me the creeps.”

* * *

*** NORMANDY DECK TWO • WAR ROOM/QEC COMPARTMENT ***

Kaidan Alenko stepped up to the railing in the QEC and sent a message to the _Hong Kong_ ’s executive officer, Staff Commander Yuán Xiùlán.  He was joined at the railing by Shepard’s image as the connection went through the relays and Yuán’s pixilated likeness took shape within the chamber.

 _“Normandy,”_ Xiùlán said in a time/distance distorted voice.  _“Made it to the relay, I see.  Any problems?”_

“None worth talking about, Staff Commander,” Kaidan replied.  “We should arrive there within the hour.  It’ll be good to see the Citadel again after so many months away.  Did our Repository, Žiuk’Durmah arrive?”

 _“He did.  Esiz’Qür held onto him until an adaptive docking apparatus could be assembled to keep him in place at the dreadnaught dock, far end of the yard.  He’s hooked into shore power now, and Esiz’Qür assures us he is safely hibernating,”_ Xiùlán observed quietly.  _“Esiz’Qür is waiting for Harbinger to arrive so he can go back to Sol… start rounding up eezo to repower ‘im.  Shouldn’t be a problem, really… there’s enough of the stuff in orbit around Earth to power up five or even ten Repositories.”_ Xiùlán changed the subject.  _“Any word from Harbinger?  He never arrived here.”_

Shepard spoke up for Alenko, “Shock wave from the core explosion upset the relay’s station keeping programming, caused a major misalignment with the Widow relay during transit.  Harbinger is really just a giant, overpowered starship, and he got tossed around like one - thrown out of the space/time corridor during transit.  Squad on the shuttle wasn’t sure how long until they can make it back, so you may want to have Esiz’Qür contact Harbinger in order to talk to them.  Oh, and Commander?”  Shepard looked intently at Xiùlán’s image in her QEC.  “Make damn sure no one enters Žiuk’Durmah’s structure until Traynor arrives with Harbinger.  I want her to accompany whoever draws the short straw for recovery detail.”

Xiùlán’s perplexed look was readily visible to Shepard and Alenko as she said, _“Ma’am?”_

“Sorry, Commander, you haven’t been told.  We’ll let Traynor fill you in when you talk to her.  She has a rather… ,” Shepard paused, looked at Alenko, then returned her attention to Xiùlán’s image, “… unique way of dealing with… things.  Signing off for now, Commander.  See you in a few… ”

* * *

*** SSV HONG KONG II · DECK TWO, WAR ROOM/QEC COMPARTMENT ***

Staff Commander Yuán Xiùlán squeezed the bridge of her nose between thumb and forefinger after cutting the comm channel to the _Normandy_.  She was beginning to think the entire Gāisǐ [該死 - _damn_ ] universe was conspiring to keep her from a reunion with Samantha Traynor.  The fact she would not be able to join her on the _Hong Kong_ as her replacement comm specialist until the _Normandy’s_ refit was completed was bad enough, but now?   _Now!?_  It seemed she had purposely sabotaged a reunion on the docks by leaving the _Normandy_ on some shūsǐ [殊死 - _desperate_ ] quest aboard a Shōugē zhě! [收割者 - _Reaper]_  Sammy had managed to save the Reaper – its carcass was now docked at the end of ‘dreadnaught row’.  Shaking her head as she silently cursed in frustration, she turned to look back at Lieutenant Cross.  “Lieutenant?  Contact our guardian Repository, Asharru.  Ask him to contact Harbinger.  I need to speak to the crew on the shuttle he’s carrying.”

“Aye-aye, Ma’am.”  Cross got busy making the connection to the destroyer class Old Machine floating 500 meters off their aft starboard quarter.  He could see Yuán was in no mood to talk about her conversation with the Normandy, so waited in silence until his request was answered by Asharru.

› _Hong Kong-Frigate.   Harbinger is standing by to relay communications with Cortez-Lieutenant, Traynor-Specialist, Tali’Zorah-Admiral.  Connection established._‹

A three-dimensional rendering of a Nazara class Reaper coalesced in the imaging chamber, but the time and distance-lagged voice coming over the comm could belong to only one person.  _“Hong Kong…  This is Normandy shuttle Delta-Two.”_

“Sēn měi? [森美 - _Sammy_ ] My god, are you alright?  Is everyone there alright?”  Xiùlán was having difficulty keeping her voice even.  _“Just what in the hell happened out there, Specialist?”_

 _“Commander Yuán… my apologies for not contacting you sooner.  We ran into a bit of trouble during our relay ride, but things have since smoothed out and we’re heading for the Pranas system relay in the salarian home system,”_ Traynor reported in her best ‘official’ voice.  _“If our good fortune holds, we should reach the relay in two days, then it’ll be a straight shot to the Widow System.”_

“Shepard said Harbinger was thrown clear of the space/time corridor – how far?”

 _“About eighty light years, Commander, somewhat towards the galactic center but in a positive ‘Z’ direction; ended up in close proximity to the Annos Basin.  Would have been much worse if we’d been tossed outward – we would have been weeks away from the Krogan DMZ.”_ Traynor paused a moment, then added, _“Harbinger’s current velocity is absolutely mind-numbing, even for a Repository… 4.27 billion kilometers a second.”_

Xiùlán calculated in her head for a moment, then said, “Damned if that isn’t almost a billion faster than previously accepted figures for the freaking things.  How is that even possible?”

 _“Super massive eezo core… he’s the oldest.  Harvesters constructed afterwards are a bit less capable, according to Harbinger._   Traynor snarked,  “ _Guess we should be glad, eh?”_

“So tell me, why was it so damned important for you to risk your life and the lives of two of your crew by leaving the _Normandy_ and entering, ah, Žiuk’Durmah?  You could have simply informed it… him… had him stand off from the relay and ship traffic.”

 _“It was my fault Javik was still riding around inside Žiuk’Durmah like a goddamned king or emperor or…”_ Traynor paused.  _“We killed ‘im, Xiùlán… sonovabitch is dead.  After Tali had Chatika slow ‘im down, then softened ‘im up with ‘er shotgun, I relieved ‘im of his brainless head with my Liǔyè dāo.”_

“Why bother saving a Reaper?” she asked before Sam’s admission registered in her mind.  “Wait!  What!?  You used a 250-year old saber to slice the head off the last living Prothean?”  Xiùlán hung her head in disbelief, even though she was aware Samantha was only receiving the audio of this message.  “Hell, I’ve been training in the use of a Liǔyè dāo since the age of eleven and I’ve never had an opportunity to use it in anger; you’ve had one for what?… one, two years at most and you’re using it to kill people?  Is that why we’re supposed to wait for your arrival before we retrieve the damned body?”

 _“You sound angry, Commander.  Was I wrong to kill him?  It wasn’t only a Repository’s life… a Repository that had carried us all the way back from the bloody edge of the galaxy, by the way.  I was trying to save all of us within the blast range of that core… and that’s exactly what I did,”_ Traynor said defensively.  _“You trained me, for god’s sake.  You taught me I should be ready to maim or kill each time I strike someone – to not leave my opponent capable of getting up from the floor, and I did just that… smashed his mouth and nose with my fists, gut punched him, kicked ‘im in the head.  Still didn’t stop him from initiating the core implosion.”_

Traynor’s use of Xiùlán’s title was not lost on her.  “I’m sorry, Sà mǐ.  I have been so damned worried about your safety since Shepard told me you left _Normandy_ on a fool’s errand.  Your safety – we cannot have survived this bloody war only to die in an ill-advised rescue attempt.  I understand your motivations, but you’re no longer in covert ops, Samantha.”  Xiùlán paused as she thought back again to their mission on Cartagena Station.  Reining in her emotions, she concluded, “I’m glad the three of you are safe!  As soon as you arrive… well, let’s have dinner on the Hong Kong.  Cortez and Tali as well…  I’m sure we can procure some dextro food for Tali that isn’t turian survival paste.  It has been a tough week here, and I was really looking forward to having you here today.  We… that is, I…  need to talk with you…   _really_ … talk with you, Sà mǐ… in private, as soon as it can be arranged.”

Sam knew she should have realized there was shit happening that was out of Xiùlán’s control.  _“Okay, Commander.  Ah, we’ll need a shuttle to come get us once we’re in the system - ours won’t be flying anywhere again… its next stop is the scrapyard.  I’ll send you a message when we’re ready to hit the Pranas system relay.”_

Xiùlán sighed.  “Roger that.  Also send me a text when you enter the Annos Basin.  And Sammy?  Zhù nǐ hǎoyùn, zhǔnwèi.  Wǒ ài nǐ.”  [祝你好運，準尉。 我愛你。- _I wish you good luck.  I love you._ ]

 _“Nǐ shǐ wǒ de shēngmìng biàn de wánzhěng, Xiùlán.”_ [你使我的生命變得完整 - You make my life complete, Xiùlán.]

Xiùlán motioned to Cross to terminate the connection.  She tried to release some of the tension in her neck by tipping her head side-to-side while reaching around one-handed to knead her shoulder muscles.  Checking her chrono as she looked at Cross, she told him, “Thanks, Lieutenant.  Copy both my conversations onto data disks and get them to Captain Cody and Admiral Hackett, their eyes only.  I’m going to take a break in my quarters.  Call me when _Normandy_ is about to dock.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

* * *

*** INSIDE THE DESTROYER REPOSITORY IRINGÙ-EẞIZKUR ***

“Thank you, Iringù-Eßizkur.”  Liara T’Soni had confirmed her sentient transport’s position report placing them about halfway between the Mass Relay and the wreckage of Arcturus Station.

This was the first time either Liara or her traveling companion Garrus Vakarian had been here since before the Reaper invasion.  She had directed Iringù-Eßizkur to approach the debris field left by the destruction of the space station, but was starting to seriously doubt the wisdom of that choice as portions of the devastation began coming into view.

“By the Goddess.  Garrus, are those… ” she pointed out a few objects on the view screen, “… organic remains?”

The turian rose from the chair specially created for his lanky frame by Iringù-Eßizkur and gingerly touched the tip of a talon to a spot on the screen; a circle graphically appeared on the display, rapidly blooming into a close-up view of the item in question.  “Spirits!  That appears to be a turian corpse!”  He quickly touched the spot on the screen again, causing the circle to dissolve into its normal view.  Hesitant now, he reached over and touched another spot; the resultant close-up view caused Liara to cover her face with her hands.

“Enough Garrus, enough,” Liara croaked through the fingers she was using to cover her mouth.  “Are there any Alliance or turian vessels left in the system, or did they all head through the relay once it became operational?”

› _We are the only beings in this star system, Liara T’Soni._ ‹  Iringù-Eßizkur’s voice, soft as it was coming from the desk speakers, still startled her.  › _All other ships departed as soon as the relay came online.   All Repositories tasked with relay repair and reintegration have transitioned to the Exodus Cluster to assist others already engaged in repairs of that system’s relay._‹

Liara asked, “Iringù-Eßizkur, can you scan the debris field and highlight any organic remains you detect?”

There was an eight-second pause before an answer was provided.  › _Observe._ ‹ The monitor displaying the debris field flashed to a much wider view, containing many dozens of tiny red circles, each moving independently within the massive quantities of twisted, broken metal, torn and ripped out wiring, pieces of optical piping, melted chunks of plastic, wispy, cloudy remnants of formerly pressurized H3, and glittering particles of eezo in massive quantities of swirling, silver-blue clouds.

“Iringù-Eßizkur!  Wasn’t Admiral Hackett’s ship involved in recovery of the people?”

There was a forty second pause, broken only by the flashing indicator on the speaker confirming Iringù-Eßizkur was still online.  Her answer was not what they wished to hear.  › _There were over 45 thousand souls aboard the station when it was destroyed, Liara T’Soni ,_‹ came the response.  Iringù-Eßizkur’s feminine voice sounded infinitely sad, as if she herself was responsible for their deaths.  › _Orizaba-dreadnaught crew was engaged in recovering remains from escape pods, from free space, from undestroyed compartments of the station.   Orizaba-dreadnaught crew recovered less than a sixteenth of those out here, those that were readily accessible.  Other ships recovered even less.  A lot of the…  bodies… and parts of bodies… are mixed in with the denser portions of the debris field and will take much more time to recover safely._‹

Liara was nearly in tears.  “Garrus.  What should we do?  It breaks my heart to have to leave their… remains… ” she nodded at the circles dancing on their monitor, “… their bodies… out there.”  She sniffled as she tried to wipe her eyes with her fingers.

Garrus was nothing if not pragmatic.  “Liara, this station was among the first to be destroyed.”  He flared his mandibles as he shrugged his shoulders and sighed.  “These… people… have been out here since the Reapers began their assault on the galaxy.”  The flanging of his sub-harmonics sounded soothing to her as he concluded, “They are not going anywhere, Liara.  The vacuum and absolute cold of space will preserve them just as they are.  We’ll send a message to the Citadel, inform the council.  I don’t expect the situation in Earth orbit… hell, Palaven either, is any better.  A hellova lot of ships were destroyed over both planets… total recovery will require a lot of time.”

Liara smiled wanly up at the turian.  “Unfortunately, you are correct.  It’s just… difficult for me to process… so much destruction, so many deaths.  I’m glad I haven’t returned to Thessia, and Goddess!… that just sounds so heartless, doesn’t it?”

Garrus returned to his seat as he studied Liara.  “Then I’m heartless as well, T’Soni, since I have failed to return to Palaven.  And do you honestly think either of us would be able to make any difference on our home planets?”

Liara’s smile grew a bit, reaching her eyes this time.  “I expect I’d have a break-down as soon as I cracked the hatch to leave the ship.”  Shaking her head, she composed a quick message to Councilor Tevos, with a copy each to Councilors Valern and Quentius; she then composed a personal message to Shepard on the _Normandy_.  After queuing them up for delivery at the next relay, she said, “Iringù-Eßizkur?  Please set course for the Exodus Cluster.  We can set out across the void if that relay isn’t completely repaired by the time we arrive.”

› _The relay in that system is still being repaired, Liara T’Soni.   As a multi-system relay, its operational parameters are several orders more complex than a relay paired with only one other.  I will need to cross the distance using my own FTL capability.  The crossing will require 4.6 days.  I will begin travel immediately._‹

The view in the monitor began to shift rapidly as Iringù-Eßizkur swiftly turned and began accelerating.  The system’s relay appeared to drift into view from the right side of the screen, its apparent size increasing exponentially as Iringù-Eßizkur accelerated towards a point just outside the transit boundary of the ancient device.  The asari’s personal comm system beeped several times as they passed the relay, indicating her messages were being transmitted.  There was no noise, no vibration, nothing to indicate they were now accelerating past the speed of light except the apparent color of the distant stars and the digital readouts displaying current velocity and distance to destination under the monitor.

Liara rose from her seat and said, “Time for me to go to work, Garrus.  I’ll be checking my data feeds and compiling information.  Join me for dinner in a bit?

“It’d be my pleasure,” he hummed.

Liara entered her work area, checked her data feeds for anything needing urgent attention.  Seeing nothing that couldn’t wait for a bit, she sat down in front of her terminal.  Before opening the interface, she touched a control beside her display.  Scrolling through the database brought a genuine smile to her face; before leaving Shepard and the Normandy behind, she had copied the commander’s extensive collection of classical Earth music so she’d have something to listen to during long days looking at data feeds.  She chose one of her favorite pieces of early nineteenth century Earth music, the _Symphony No. 6 in F-major_ by Ludwig van Beethoven.  After listening to it many times, she had come to understand why it was also called the _Pastoral Symphony_ – it evoked feelings she had experienced as a child going on outings to the countryside with her mother, particularly the allegro first movement.  She relaxed to the joyful harmonies as she began working.

* * *

*** SSV HONG KONG II • EXECUTIVE OFFICER’S QUARTERS ***

Staff Commander Yuán entered her quarters and slowly moved towards her bed; raising her arms as she reached the side, she turned and flopped backwards on top of the covers in one fluid motion, leaving her lower legs hanging off the side, feet still on the deck.  It really didn’t surprise her to hear an Australian accented voice quietly address her.

“Bit tired there, Commander?”  Miranda Lawson rose from the chair in front of Xiùlán’s desk, walked over and sat beside the woman lying on the bed.  “What happened?”

“Too much to go into right now.  I think I need to sleep on it all, but _Normandy_ is due to dock in less than an hour.  Trouble is, Samantha Traynor is not on board.”

“What happened, Xiùlán.”

After several moments of silence, Xiùlán began speaking.  “She took Tali’Zorah and a shuttle pilot inside Žiuk’Durmah to prevent the Prothean, Javik, from detonating the eezo core inside the Reaper.”  Xiùlán brought a hand up to massage her temples.  “Traynor and Shepard thought an explosion of that magnitude might have damaged any nearby ship or structure - relay or Citadel, or maybe both.  Sammy managed to kill the bastard with an assist from Tali, but not before he’d activated the sequence to detonate the core while they were beside the Charon relay.”  She sighed heavily before continuing.

“They escaped to Harbinger, remotely ejected Žiuk’Durmah’s core, then got everyone, except themselves, through Charon before the explosion.  I just finished speaking with her… they’re all safe inside Harbinger, but their passage through the relay was interrupted mid-transit by the explosion.  Kicked them out of the space/time corridor about halfway along and damaged their shuttle beyond repair; Harbinger is heading for the Annos Basin… about two days out at Harbinger’s top speed.”

Miranda placed a hand on the commander’s shoulder.  “I’m sorry, Xiùlán… I know you’re anxious to see her.”  She paused for a moment, then continued, “Changing the subject entirely, I’ve decided to accept your offer to work with you on this ship.  Tell the admiral you have a new communications systems officer, for as long as you need me.  I know I don’t have the background Samantha has, but I will do my absolute best for you and this ship.  After we greet the _Normandy_ crew, we should go do a bit of shopping, pick up some new clothes, hmmm?”

Xiùlán sat up quickly at this revelation.  “Miranda, that’s probably the best bit of news I’ve heard in some time.”  She got up and moved to her desk as she continued, “I’ll inform Admiral Hackett and the captain, get the process started.  After we welcome the _Normandy_ crew back to… ” she paused and grinned, “… civilization, such as it is, we’ll head for the store.  Thanks, Miranda.  I’m really glad you decided to stay with us.”

“I also wanted you to know I’ll be checking back into Huerta Memorial’s secure patient wing tomorrow.  Doctor Phelps is going to… ” here she placed fingertips to her eye patch, “… replace this temp with my new eye.”  She dropped her voice, almost as if she were talking to herself.  “I just hope they were able to match the color.”

“Miranda, if it’s close, no one will ever be able to see the difference anyway.  Most of the crew on this boat are men.”

“What’s your point, Commander?”  The words were scarcely out of her mouth before Xiùlán made a point of leering at Miranda’s chest; the puzzled expression on her face gave way instantly to understanding.  “Ohhh-h-h-h.  Okay… so you’re saying anyone, or men anyway, reporting to me will be staring at my boobs?

“You’ll know by the glazed look in their eyes, Miranda,” Xiùlán chuckled.  “Breasts really do make men stupid!  Since I’m so tall, a lot of the crew have to look up to see my eyes, so I can really tell when their attention starts to wander.”  She stood up and went to her small closet.  Pulling out her dress blues, she said, “Guess I’ll get changed.”  Fingering the gold bars on her shoulder boards, she commented, “probably last time I’ll wear the insignia of a Staff Commander for an official function.”  With a sigh, she removed her duty uniform and hung it in the closet.  Feeling Miranda’s eyes on her, she glanced at her and asked, “What?”

“Nothing, Commander.  Just looking at your back - appears like all the bruising is gone.  Still a couple of spots, but overall?”  Shrugging her shoulders, she observed, “Looks like you’ll be released to full duty tomorrow.  Can’t wait to see how you fill out a captain’s uniform.”

“Won’t be any different than this one,” she replied, smiling as she pushed her arms into the jacket’s sleeves, settled the collar and lapels and began buttoning up.  “Everything will be cut the same.  Just need new insignia.  You, however, will need all new stuff.  Going to be spending some serious credits on your clothing.  Well worth it, I might add.”

After inspecting her image in the full-length mirror, she looked at Miranda and said, “Ready?” just as Lieutenant Cross’s voice came over the intercom.  _“Commander?  This is Cross.  Normandy’s ten minutes out, Ma’am.  Dock will be right next to us.  Permission to allow off-duty personnel off the ship to greet her?”_

“Permission granted, Lieutenant.  All off-duty personnel may leave the ship to greet the _Normandy_.  No one is to leave the vicinity of these two docks, míngbái wǒ? [明白我？- _understand me?]_   Post two Marines outside the hatch, four more patrolling the parameter; they are to inspect I.D. of everyone reboarding afterwards, míngbái wǒ?  No one gets on this boat unless they belong here!”

 _“Understood, Ma’am… two guards outside the hatch, everyone scanned prior to boarding, off-duty personnel only off-ship,”_ Cross repeated back.

“Very good, Lieutenant.”  Turning to Miranda, she asked, “Ready?  Let’s go see the return of a legend.”


	45. Docked in Safe Harbor

_Upon your arrival at an empty dock, know this.  The ship did not leave without you.  It left to make room for your ship soon to arrive!  This is the power of hope and faith. –_ Val Edward Simone

* * *

*** SSV NORMANDY · DECK TWO, BRIDGE ***

SSV _Normandy_ Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau was within ten minutes of docking at the Citadel for the first time in nearly a year.  The last time he had seen the station was in Earth orbit, Crucible docked, the five Ward arms spread wide, firing the energy pulse that had ended the Reaper’s harvest of galactic life, along with the life of his commander.

Today it looked almost serene, as if everything before had been some kind of nightmare.  Keying up the frequency for approach control, he said in his best ‘official’ voice, _“Alliance control, SSV Normandy requesting approach vector and docking clearance.”_ He started running through the ship’s approach and docking checklist with EDI as he waited for a reply.

 _“SSV Normandy, Alliance control… you are cleared for standard approach vector to Alliance dock Charlie-seven, berth Zero-three; you will be docked on the starboard side of SSV Hong Kong.  Once the stern docking clamps are engaged and locked, deploy landing gear and hanger bay ramp, then power down all propulsion and flight systems.  Forward docking support will engage and lock into your ship’s nose gear.”_ The docking control officer finished with a smile in her voice.  _“Welcome home, Flight Lieutenant.”_

_“Thank you Control – it’s good to be home!”_

Joker turned to EDI as she read off the remainder of the list.  “Inertial dampeners to 100%, kinetic barriers to maximum, hull pressurization checked and confirmed; navigation computer updated with approach vector and docking coordinates.  Approach lights, on.  Position lights, on.  Hanger bay secured for docking, ramp deployment actuators armed.  Auxiliary power units armed for auto-shutdown with shore power connection.”  EDI pressed a fingertip to the datapad to indicate the checklist had been completed.

Joker slaved the navi-computer to the flight controls and leaned back in his chair to enjoy the ride.  The computer immediately altered their line of approach to one a bit more aggressive than Joker would have attempted manually.  “Better warn everyone to prepare for docking, EDI.”

* * *

*** WIDOW SYSTEM · CITADEL, SYSTEMS ALLIANCE DOCKS ***

Accompanied by Miranda Lawson, Staff Commander Yuán Xiùlán paused just outside the port side airlock to talk to Corporal Vic about security around the docks; she then walked around the nose of the vessel, taking the catwalk over to the stairs leading down to the lower level where Admiral Hackett would welcome ship and crew home.

She placed a hand on Miranda’s back as they stopped at a painted, bright orange semi-circular line with black hash-stripes that marked the limits of a ship’s kinetic shield wall during docking operations.  Having a ship’s kinetic ‘bubble’ pass over one’s body, while not lethal, was not a pleasant feeling either, since it generally led to an immediate bout of nausea accompanied by a splitting headache.

“Your armor doesn’t even show, Miranda,” Xiùlán observed as she rubbed her companion’s back.  “If I wasn’t already aware of it, I wouldn’t know it was there without touching you.”

Miranda’s eyes were focused out beyond the engines and tail of the Hong Kong.  She pointed excitedly as the intense glare of _Normandy_ _’s_ docking lights and pulsing navigation beacons became visible through the gaseous haze; the ship itself coming into view through the mist as it banked hard to port on its turn for final approach, eddies in the gas cloud marking its passage.

“You really sure I even need to be wearing this stuff, Commander?”  she asked calmly, her voice in complete contrast to her apparent excitement at being able to welcome a legend back home.  “I don’t question your concern for my safety… I simply don’t believe the Suns would make another attempt so soon, especially here of all places.”

“Ship arriving that everyone thought destroyed?  All attention focused on this berth, this dock?”  Xiùlán shook her head.  “Just asking for some bastard to take a shot at you, or me, or even the admiral, which is why a shuttle from the _Orizaba_ docked inside _Normandy_ before their pilot requested docking clearance.  Admiral’s already on board with his own Marine detachment.  They’ll exit the ship as soon as the ramp deploys, form a cordon to guard Hackett as he welcomes the crew back to… ” she looked around herself, then back at Miranda “… civilization.”

Glancing off to her left, past the berth that would soon be home for the Normandy, Xiùlán spied Commander Bailey leading a contingent of at least three dozen C-Sec personnel, all of them human.  She also noticed Captain Cody, looking resplendent in his dress blues, walking beside Bailey; as they approached the warning line on the far side of the berth, the C-Sec troopers split up as they fanned out, twelve to either side, twelve heading for the upper level and the remainder arrayed in columns behind the pair of officers.

With one last, apparently casual look around, Xiùlán motioned for Miranda to follow her as she touched her shoulder then dropped her hand.  She whispered, “Bring up your kinetic barrier, Miranda,” as the pair walked towards the Hong Kong in order to stay outside the immediate crowd that was sure to form around the open shuttle bay of the _Normandy_.

A ‘whoosh’ of displaced air whipped past them as the nose of the ship pierced the docking area’s outer kinetic barrier, creating a small tempest of electrical discharges with the interaction from the ship’s own barrier down the length of the hull.  With a whine that rapidly ascended in pitch and level to an ear-deafening crescendo as main engine thrust was reversed at maximum to arrest their forward momentum, Normandy’s nose slid rapidly into the waiting aperture as the ship swiftly decelerated to a complete stop, ‘cheek’ deflectors mere centimeters from the edges of the main platform; the engine noise began a rapid descent in volume as all four were brought to idle simultaneous to the deployment of the stern docking clamps.

Once the clamps had swung into place to engage the engine support pylons on both sides, the forward docking support slid smoothly into place to engage the nose gear, forming a cradle ahead of the hanger deck; at this point the four main engines were completely shut down, their whining complaints lessening to whispers before fading away completely, leaving the droning hum of several APUs providing power for the ship’s internal functions; the hanger deck ramp deployed, hydraulics whining in protest as it lowered to within a few centimeters of the concrete deck.

Several waiting shore-based techs immediately dragged a number of high voltage cables inside, plugging them into receptacles on either side of the ramp; once these ‘shore power’ cables were connected to provide lighting and environmental power to the ship during its stay, all the APUs save one began sequential shutdowns, returning the area outside the ship to the relative quiet it had previously enjoyed.

* * *

*** SSV NORMANDY · DECK TWO, BRIDGE ***

“EDI?  Let’s finish the checklist so we can get the hell outta here.”  Joker wanted to get the ceremonies done so he could go enjoy a stiff drink or three.

EDI responded as she touched items listed on her datapad.  “Kinetic barrier, off; Inertial dampeners to standby; Throttles to idle, engines secured; Exterior lights, off; Ramp, deployed; airlock, unlatched; Mass effect core, power to idle, H3 pumps, off and secured; APUs, powering down - shore power for ship environmental and technical confirmed.  Isolated backup APU for computer core functions running normally.”  As before, she touched fingertip to datapad, indicating all checks complete.  Securing her flight controls, she reached past Jeff to secure his; as she started to draw her arm back, Jeff grabbed it and brought her hand to his face.  “EDI, I don’t know what I would do without you here.”  Kissing the back of her hand, he released her arm and continued, “Let’s go.  Time for a bit of shore leave.”

* * *

*** SYSTEMS ALLIANCE DOCK CHARLIE-SEVEN *  
** **· BERTH ZERO-THREE – UPPER & LOWER LEVEL ·**

With a hiss of air blowing past the gap all around, the _Normandy_ _’s_ outer airlock hatch moved slightly away from the hull before sliding towards the stern, accompanied by the sounds of hidden hydraulics.  Two marines, bearing insignia patches of the _SSV Orizaba_ on their left shoulders, exited the compartment to take up guard duty outside the hatch.

The people waiting outside the hanger deck ramp on the lower level gradually drew closer; Bailey and Cody walked towards the ramp together, C-Sec personnel trailing behind.  Eight marines, also bearing _Orizaba_ insignia patches, preceded Admiral Steven Hackett off the _Normandy_ _’s_ cargo ramp and deployed in a V-formation ahead of him; following the admiral were Lieutenant James Vega, along with Lieutenant Greg Adams and his engineering staff, Gabriella Daniels and Kenneth Donnelly.  The remainder of the crew formed up in ranks inside the brightly lit hanger deck, with the last people out being Doctor Karin Chakwas, Major Kaidan Alenko and Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau.  If one looked inside carefully, Zaeed Massani could be seen standing off next to the Normandy’s shuttlecraft.

Turning towards the _Normandy_ _’s_ officers, Hackett paused as everyone snapped to attention and saluted.  Returning the salute, the old veteran sighed as he looked at each of them.  “It’s been an incredibly long eleven months, for you… and for us.  Until Harbinger informed us the _Normandy_ had been found and was being ferried home inside another Reaper… ,” Hackett paused, looked down momentarily, then returned his gaze to the crew members assembled in front of him, “… that is to say, Repository… the very one that now lies docked and crippled at the end of dreadnought row, Žiuk’Durmah… ” Hackett brought a hand up to rub his nose and mouth as he paused again, thinking about the main reason any of them were here now.  “… well, having you all standing here, having this ship docked here… it feels like a miracle, really.”

Feeling unsure of his composure, he turned to face the people assembled to welcome the ship home.  Squaring his shoulders, he retook his parade rest stance as he continued speaking.  “It is indeed unfortunate the real hero of the conflict, the person who deserves the most credit for uniting all the galaxy’s races in a common cause, is unable to stand with her crew today.  Commander Rachaél Anne Shepard was… ” Hackett’s voice hitched as he thought of the woman he considered a daughter.  Thinking, _‘dammit, I’ll get through this if it kills me!’_ , he coughed to clear his throat and continued, “… a singular individual…  an outstanding… example of a naval officer.”  Eyes glistening with unshed tears, he struggled to finish.  “Those of us… that remain… ,” voice betraying him, he thought, _‘Dammit, Steve!  Get control of yourself!’_ “… whether by good fortune… or simple luck, are… so much poorer… for her loss.”

He looked down for several seconds before turning again to face the _Normandy’s_ crewmembers.  He concluded with, “Welcome home, all of you.  I’ll ask that senior staff remain available for a debrief aboard _Normandy_ to take place within three days; a text outlining the schedule will be sent through a secure link to your omnitools.”

“With that single requirement in mind, the entire crew is hereby granted thirty days of leave.”  Coming to attention, he waited as everyone did the same; after returning the salutes, he finished with, “Welcome home!  Dismissed.”

As Alenko moved to talk to the admiral, Xiùlán and Miranda walked up, to be joined from the other side by Captain Cody; Commander Bailey chose to circulate around the perimeter with his C-Sec squad.  No one noticed Joker slipping back onboard.

Alenko spoke first.  “Admiral?  You okay?  Looked like you were having a hard time getting through that.”

“Wasn’t the easiest welcome home I’ve had to do lately.”  Hackett looked down for a moment before continuing in a softer voice, “Dammit, Alenko.  I miss that woman’s presence, here, standing right in front of me, not as some disembodied intelligence in _Normandy_ _’s_ computer core.  We have _got_ to get that corrected, sooner rather than later!”

“We’ll get it done, Sir.  Having the debrief on the _Normandy_ will certainly make things easier, but we will need to be extremely careful with the workers allowed on board to finish the retrofit.  Everyone working on board needs to be double… or triple-vetted.”  Alenko looked at each of the people around him before continuing.  “I would request we postpone any debrief onboard until Specialist Samantha Traynor returns with Tali’Zorah vas Normandy and Lieutenant Steve Cortez.  They’re the reason Žiuk’Durmah wasn’t obliterated by an eezo core explosion at Charon.”

“We’ll have the briefing after they return, Major.”  He looked at Cody as he continued speaking to Alenko.  “Traynor will actually be staying aboard to work on the communications retrofits.”

“That’s good to hear, Sir,” Alenko responded.  “She’s intimately familiar with all aspects of Normandy’s communications equipment, the QEC in particular.  She was actually instrumental in several of our successful operations against Cerberus during the war, most notably when she intercepted the call for help from Grissom Academy and tracking Kai Leng to Sanctuary, the Cerberus run facility on Horizon.”

Taking notice of the other people standing around them, he said, “If you’ll excuse me, Sir?”

After Hackett nodded and turned towards Bill Cody, Alenko looked at the two women waiting nearby; approaching them, he said, “Are you?… Commander Yuán!  Yes, it’s so good to finally meet you in person, Commander.”  Kaidan thought _‘hellova grip!’_ as he shook her hand.  “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you!  And this is?… ”

Miranda came forward to offer her hand to the major.  “Miranda Lawson, Major.  We crossed paths briefly when the Collectors attacked Horizon, then again at Sanctuary… ”

“Yes!  Of course!  I remember Sanctuary… overrun with some of the Reaper’s nastiest creations!  You… look a bit different than I remember,” he finished, afraid to say more lest he offend or insult her in some way.

“Oh, don’t be shy, Major.”  Xiùlán had seen the ‘look’ in Alenko’s greeting.  Speaking softly, she continued, “She does look different than when you last saw her; after tomorrow, she’ll look even more different.  The eye-patch should be gone and she’ll be in a proper uniform.  She’s agreed to become my comm officer on the Hong Kong…  Hackett’s granting her a warrant to serve in the Navy.  She’ll have a job, and she’ll be safe from the Blue Suns.

“Wonderful!  Welcome to the Fifth Fleet, Ms Lawson.  Perhaps I can… well, would you care to join me for dinner this evening?”  Looking at Xiùlán, he quickly added, “You too, Commander.  My treat!  We have lots to talk about!  I’ll find a restaurant close by, text you the name and location?”

Miranda glanced at Xiùlán before turning back to Alenko and answering for both of them, “Of course, Major.  We’d love to join you.  And it’s simply ‘Miranda’, at least until I’m sworn in.”

“That’ll be great!  Let’s say… 1930?”

* * *

EDI kept an arm around Joker’s waist as she walked beside the limping pilot.  The unlikely pair didn’t even garner a second glance from the numerous workers moving equipment and supplies around inside Normandy’s hanger deck as they slowly walked down the ramp’s slight incline and moved towards the station’s lower entrance between the berths.

“So, Flight Lieutenant, where are we going?  You will not wish to walk too far from the ship, of that I am sure.”

“Most everything on this level is for Naval personnel,” he replied.  “There are a few lounges and bars close by; I want to have a few quiet moments with my girlfriend, have a drink or two, and then see what we can find for base housing.  I don’t have a clue where we’re going to stay while the retrofit is completed.”

EDI stopped short and gently pulled Joker around to face her.  “Jeff, I want you to know I plan on spending a lot of my time on the Normandy.”  At the instant look of distress on his face, she hurriedly continued, “I need to be there for Shepard, Jeff.  I must make sure the computer core is protected from tampering, at least until Samantha Traynor is back on board to work on the comm systems.  I’ll still be able to spend all of my shore time with you.  The retrofit crews will only be on board ten to twelve hours a day and Specialist Traynor will more than likely put in longer hours, although I suspect at least part of her off-duty time will be spent with Yuán Xiùlán in Shepard’s apartment.”

Joker pensive expression spoke volumes as he looked at her.  “I understand, EDI.  You’ll still accompany me back and forth though, won’t you?”

EDI smiled at the melancholy tone in Joker’s voice.  “Of course, Jeff.  I am here for you, always.  Now let’s go find some alcohol.  I’m curious about the appearance of a person that is said to be… shit-faced.”

* * *

Admiral Hackett had been talking quietly to Captain Cody when he spotted Xiùlán and Miranda walking towards them.  As the women drew near, Hackett looked at the pair, curiosity evident in his expression.  “Commander?  Ms Lawson?  What can I do for you?”

Xiùlán saluted Hackett and Cody as she responded, “Sir?  I wanted to inform you that Miranda here has decided to take you up on your offer for a position on board the _HK2_ as a comm tech.  She’ll be in the secure patient care department at Huerta Memorial tomorrow… Doctor Phelps will be implanting her new eye.  Day after, she should be released to full duty.  My back has healed to the point where he’ll be releasing me as well.  Just wanted to reconfirm your promise to endorse her warrant to serve in the Navy, Sir.”

Hackett’s face was transformed by the smile that grew as he listened to Xiùlán.  “Of course, Commander.  That’s good news, very good news indeed!”  Turning towards Miranda, he continued, “I’ll have the paperwork all ready for you, Ms Lawson.  You’ll be included in the invitations I send for the staff briefing on the Normandy… should be in three days’ time.”

“Thank you Sir.  I appreciate the opportunity.”

Hackett chuckled.  “See if you still feel that way after serving under Yuán for a few days… I’m told she’s a pretty harsh taskmaster.  Even Cody here will be glad to be off the HK2, and he’s her captain!”

Miranda’s mouth fell open in surprise at this.  “Well, I haven’t actually endorsed any contracts yet.  Suppose I could still… ”

“Dammit, Miri!”  Yuán hissed in mock anger.  “Don’t listen to anything this man says about me.”

This got a genuine laugh from both officers; Cody added, “You’ll do fine, Ms Lawson.  Commander Yuán is the best XO I’ve ever had, and I know for certain she’ll make an excellent captain.  You’ll be in very good hands.”

“Commander?  Just remembered, I have a message to pass on,” Hackett said.  “A general I know wanted me to forward this along to you.  Said you’d remember… her.”  He activated his omnitool and forwarded the text, causing Xiùlán’s tool to briefly light up in response.  Sticking out his hand, he said, “We’ll see both of you in about three days.”

“Yes Sir.  Thank you, Sir,” they replied in unison.

* * *

*** CITADEL · NAVAL PERSONNEL SUPPLY STORE ***

“My gosh, Xiùlán!”  Miranda was standing in front of her friend, wearing just a bra, panties and socks.  “Do I really need to wear undershirts?”

The saleswoman interrupted before Xiùlán could answer.  “Excuse me, ladies.  If I may?”  Turning to face her, they both nodded in agreement.  “Outfitting her for a Navy position?”

“Warrant officer, or she will be in a day or two,” Xiùlán answered.  “All her stuff was either stolen or lost in the final days on Earth, so she’s starting over… needs a full kit.  Bill goes to the Alliance, attention Fleet Admiral Steven Hackett, reference _SSV Hong Kong II_.  I’ll sign for the debit, Ms… ?”

“… oh, sorry Commander.  Name’s Sandstrom… Dawn Sandstrom.  So, your friend here is enlisting?”

“Actually, the Alliance is hiring her… special circumstances.  I want her to look as if she’s been in the Navy all her life.  I have a list of the minimum requirements.”

“As do I, Commander.  I’ve been outfitting spacers and ground pounders for years.”  She looked at Miranda as if mentally sizing her up.  “You’ll have to be able to pack your entire kit into a pair of bags for transfers, which we also happen to sell here.  So, Ms… ?

“Laws.  Amanda Laws.”  Miranda had decided against using her real name in public… even in this place, it could prove risky.

“Okay, Ms Laws.  You’re going to need new underwear, something a bit more substantial than what you’re wearing.”  Dawn moved to stand behind Miranda so she could inspect the sizing tags on her bra and panties, then moved to the racks and grabbed twelve each of bras, panties and undershirts in basic undyed white; returning with her arms loaded she declared, “Right.  Here’s the minimum of what you’ll need.”

“Why do I need an undershirt over my bra?”  Miranda asked as she held up the item in question.  “This looks like a man’s tee-shirt.”

“You may not be used to wearing undershirts over your bra, but trust me… end of a ten hour shift, you _will_ thank me,” Dawn explained.  “It’s cut for a woman’s build.  Short sleeves, V-neck, slightly tapered with a long tail.  Navy gets all its clothes from a single source.  Fabric for the outer wear is made to resist abrasion.  Downside is, it abrades you.  This bit of extra fabric may make you feel too warm at first, but once you’re used to the extra weight, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it.  And if you get into a situation where you have to shed your outer shirt, you’ll still have an undershirt on.  Go ahead, try on a set.”

Miranda looked at Xiùlán, doubt apparent on her face.  “Go ahead, Ms Laws.  Might as well get you dressed from… ” Xiùlán cupped her chin with her hand, fingers over her mouth as she tried and failed to hide the smirk, “… the bottom up.”

With a look of annoyance, she took a bra and a pair of underpants from Sandstrom and went into the changing compartment.  After a few minutes, she emerged wearing her new underclothes.  “I suppose they’re comfortable enough, and they seem to fit okay.  Can’t say much for the styling, though.”

Xiùlán’s only comment was, “I don’t think you’ll be entering any fashion shows on board ship, Ms Laws.”  Xiùlán looked at Dawn and said, “Put the other eleven sets aside for us, Ms Sandstrom.  We’ll have you send the entire purchase to the Hong Kong when we’re done here.  Now, socks.  Need at least twelve pair…  And seven complete standard duty uniforms.”

Dawn pulled out what looked like a laser gun and took measurements of Miranda’s body – neck, arm length, chest, waist, hips, rise and inseam.  “I’ll be right back,” she declared.

As she walked over to the racks holding duty uniforms, Xiùlán whispered in Miranda’s ear, “The idea is for you to blend in with the rest of the crew, Miri.  I don’t want your looks to be a distraction, so minimal makeup as well.  And I like your new name - we just may use it occasionally when we’re off the ship in the future.”  She pulled back as Sandstrom returned with what seemed to be a lot of clothes.

“Here we are, Ma’am.  Duty shirt and trousers in Alliance Navy blue.”  Dawn handed a set to Miranda for her to try.  “Alliance regs specify a minimum of four sets along with the accessories,” Dawn remarked.  Looking at Xiùlán, she commented, “You must be familiar with long term deployments aboard a ship, Commander.  Good to see you’re going with quantities based on your experience.”  Watching Miranda as she pulled on the new clothes, she asked, “Do you know what your rank will be, Ma’am?  I can pull the accessories you’ll need, like rank and specialty insignias.  You’ll also need belts.”

“I won’t know for sure until I sign the paperwork.”  Miranda sighed as she finished pulling on the shirt, then stepped into the pants and pulled them up.

“Warrant Officer - she’ll be a W2,” Xiùlán offered, thinking, ‘ _If I already have her insignias on her clothes, Hackett will go along… I hope.’_

As Dawn went to gather the required items to customize the new over shirts, Miranda finished fastening and squaring away her new clothes, turned to Xiùlán and asked, “How do I look?”

“Super!  How’s the fit?  Too tight, too loose?”

“Fit’s seems perfect.”  She ran her hands experimentally over her chest.  “Not too snug across the top… it’s almost as if… ” Miranda paused, then cocked an eyebrow as she looked at Xiùlán suspiciously.  “Did you have these pre-tailored?”

Xiùlán feigned surprise.  “Ms Laws!  I wouldn’t be so bold as to think you were actually going to join the Navy!  I’m truly shocked you’d suggest such a thing!”  Xiùlán gave a warning look to Ms Sandstrom, who knew full well that Xiùlán had visited here twice in order to make sure the outer shirts were correctly sized for a woman with an ample bust.  The pants had been altered as well, specifically for a woman with a small waist and full hips.

“Come on, Ms Laws.  Let’s get the rest of your gear together so we can get back to the ship.  We have a dinner date in a few short hours.  Don’t want to keep the gentleman waiting, now do we?”

Miranda’s suspicions were not allayed by Xiùlán’s apparent lack of involvement in the alterations she felt had to have been done to her clothes.  She decided she’d need to repay her friend for being so damned sure of herself.

The final tally upon leaving the store was rather large.  In addition to the basic clothes, Miranda now had two pairs of boots, twelve pairs of socks, three sets of armor liners for ground missions, a dress uniform with matching jacket and shoes, plus all the various and sundry items a person needed to make themselves comfortable in a home away from home.  Miranda had even purchased a folding single-blade knife.  Operable with one hand, the razor sharp blade locked in the open position; its assisted action allowed one to instantly and effortlessly open the blade with a fingertip… boot knife, she told Xiùlán.

Xiùlán spoke to Dawn for a few moments, and then followed her out to the rear of the store after asking Miranda to wait for her.  After twenty minutes passed with no sign of Xiùlán returning, Miranda started to worry and was about ready to go looking when the pair returned through the aisles of merchandise.  “What was that all about?”  Miranda asked as they walked out the door.

“Nothing.  Just looking at a specialized pistol holster.”

Before they returned to the ship, Xiùlán led Miranda into a nearby store featuring ladies civilian wear.  After an eighty minute visit and a few more purchases, they headed back to the ship; Miranda’s new casual wear, accessories and shoes would be delivered to the Normandy along with her military purchases.

* * *

*** SSV HONG KONG II · EXECUTIVE OFFICER’S QUARTERS ***

Miranda was horrified when everything showed up at the ship.  “Where in hell am I going to put all this stuff, Xiùlán?”

“We’ll work it out, Miri.  Sit tight for a few moments.”  Xiùlán activated her comm unit.  “Lieutenant Cross, please report to the XO’s quarters.”

When the door lock chimed shortly after her page, Xiùlán released the lock for Cross to enter, who walked up to her desk and saluted.

“Have a seat, Lieutenant.  I believe you’re acquainted with Miranda Lawson here.”

“Yes Ma’am.”  He looked at her and nodded as he sat in the chair beside her and waited for Xiùlán to speak.

“I have some news for you, but you need to keep it to yourself until Hackett makes the official announcement,” she said.

Cross looked puzzled as he said, “Yes Ma’am.  Whatever you need.”

“Okay.  Number one: In two or three days, Captain Cody will be leaving the _Hong Kong_ to assume command of the _Normandy_.”  Cross’s eyes went wide for a moment, but he said nothing, waiting for his XO to finish.  “Number two: I’m being promoted to Captain, and will assume command of this vessel upon Captain Cody’s official transfer to the _Normandy_.”  Cross still said nothing, but his eyes betrayed his nervousness.  “Number three: I have recommended your promotion to Staff Lieutenant, and you will become my executive officer.  Do as good a job in that position as you have in the CIC, you’ll make lieutenant commander in five years, maybe four.  Think you can handle all that, Lieutenant?”

Cross took a deep breath and let it out slowly.  “I’ll do my best for you, Ma’am.  Thank you.”  He almost started to stand, but sensed she wasn’t done.

“Lieutenant, Miranda here is going to become a member of the crew on this boat, at least until the _Normandy’s_ retrofits are complete; at that point, she may swap positions with Samantha Traynor.  Admiral Hackett intends to authorize a warrant for Miranda to serve as our communications officer – she’ll most likely be designated as W2.  Now, I’m quite comfortable on this side of the ship, and I see no need to move to the starboard side, so once the captain has cleared out over… ” she tilted her head to her left, “… there, those quarters can be assigned to the new XO.  You okay with that, or would you rather move in on this side?”

“Your way makes more sense to me, Ma’am.  Less disruption, the better.  Quarters are simply mirror imaged, correct?  I _am_ wondering where Ms Lawson is going to bunk.”

“She’ll be assigned a berth with the rest of the female officers, Lieutenant.”  Xiùlán placed both arms on her desk and leaned towards Cross and Miranda.  “It’s important no one else find out about these changes until Hackett makes the announcement.  We’re going to have a staff meeting aboard the Normandy in a couple of days.  Everything we’re doing will become a whole lot clearer at that time.  Any questions?”

“Nothing I can think of at the moment, Ma’am.”  He turned to Miranda and offered his hand.  “Welcome to the crew of the Hong Kong, Ms Lawson.  If there’s anything I can do to make your transition to military life on board more pleasant, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant.  I’m just hoping I’ll fit in here.”

“Cross?”  Xiùlán’s expression and tone of voice left no doubt she was being dead serious.  “There is one more thing.  Miranda’s former employer was Cerberus… truth is, she answered directly to The Illusive Man.  That’s not going to be a problem on this ship, is it.”  Her last sentence was spoken as a declaration of fact, not a question.

To his credit, Cross didn’t even blink.  “Ma’am, you made a trip into hell to rescue her from the Blue Suns; took a bullet in the backplate trying to protect her in hospital.  If you’re vouching for her, that will be good enough for the crew.  There’ll be no problems.”

“Very good, Lieutenant.  Miranda will be going into hospital tomorrow for her eye implant.  We’re hoping Doc Phelps will release her the day after, even if she still needs the eye patch for a few more days.  I’d like you to spend a bit of time after she’s out of hospital familiarizing our soon-to-be comm systems specialist with the equipment she’ll be using.  You don’t have to explain your actions to anyone else – send them to me if they persist in being nosy.”

“You got it, Ma’am.  I’ll make it happen.  Is there anything else?”  Cross stood to leave.

“We received a bunch of extra gear for her… clothes and sundries she’ll need.  Some of it can stay in here for the time being… civilian wear, mostly.  All the military gear can go in a foot locker; see what’s available for her to use.”

“I’m on it.”  The lieutenant turned to Miranda.  “Ms Lawson, I just need to know what you don’t need immediate access to… we can put the rest away close by.”

As Cross and Miranda gathered her clothing and left, Xiùlán sat back and opened her omnitool to read the message forwarded to her by Admiral Hackett.

— — — — — — — — — —

**FROM: SYSTEMS ALLIANCE COMMAND**

**TO: Staff Commander Yuán Xiùlán, S/N 8257-PVG-09186**

**C/O: Admiral Steven Hackett, SSV Orizaba**

Commander Yuán:

I have been informed you were instrumental in apprehending a person of interest in several high-profile assaults, arsons and murders involving Alliance personnel and property in and around the Citadel during the previous five-to-six months.

I want you to know I will be adjudicating the cases against one Jason Joesiar on behalf of the Systems Alliance.  I will need sworn statements from you and the people accompanying you concerning the circumstances leading up to his seemingly unprovoked attack against you on the day he was apprehended.  Your help will be most appreciated.

Please text me at your earliest convenience.

RaeLee Park, Major General, Systems Alliance Command

— — — — — — — — — —

Xiùlán closed her omnitool, sat back in her chair and thought about the vagaries of the galaxy.  The woman that had kicked Joesiar’s miserable ass out of the Spec–Ops training program at Luna Base in ‘79… hell, had kicked him out of the Alliance Navy altogether, was going to be sitting in judgment on him again.  He was a civilian now, not that it mattered; he had committed crimes against personnel employed by and property belonging to the Systems Alliance, including herself.  His chances of getting off would have been a lot better in a civilian court, although there were very few places left with any kind of functioning judicial system – good for the Alliance, not so good for Joesiar.  Xiùlán almost felt sorry for whatever lawyer was chosen to represent him in court.  Too bad his crimes weren’t against the Hegemony… the batarians would have probably executed him first before trying him in absentia!  She couldn’t wait to tell Traynor the news.

* * *

_A/N: It’s taken a long time, but the **Normandy** is back in civilization.  Once the retrofits (incomplete since escaping the Reaper attack on Earth) have been completed, it will join the **Hong Kong** and the heavy cruiser **Shanghai** in dealing with the Blue Suns.  Special thanks to my co-author Desert Sunrise._


	46. Liberty Call

_This was their third bar since Piccadilly and they were both agreed that the two of them were very drunk but had the capacity to get a good deal drunker yet._ \- Kate Atkinson, _Life After Life_

* * *

*** CITADEL ALLIANCE DOCK CHARLIE-SEVEN *  
** *** BERTH 03 — LOWER LEVEL ***

Miranda Lawson and Yuán Xiùlán were walking to a restaurant near the Naval docks after having spent a rather busy afternoon shopping for clothes; Miranda now had the clothing recommended for her new position aboard the _Hong Kong_ as a warrant officer.  Xiùlán had also picked up the new insignias she needed for her own uniforms, along with a few other new items she felt would be needed in the immediate future.

They were each dressed in casual clothing; Miranda in tailored white slacks with a matching jacket over a cobalt blue blouse, top two buttons undone so her Australian Black Fire Opal, set in a gold pendent style necklace, could be seen nestled in her ample cleavage.  Since Xiùlán had insisted she have on footwear that would allow her to easily run should the need arise, her shoes were not the high heels _she_ would have chosen for herself, but rather a pair of dressy dark blue, lace-up boots with short heels.  The cuffs of her pants covered the uppers; they were comfortable and actually didn’t seem to clash with the suit she was wearing.

Xiùlán had opted for tailored dark grey pants paired with a short-sleeve, medium V-neck black sweater.  She too was wearing a necklace, a five hundred year old tiger shark tooth inlaid with bands of gold and platinum, hanging from a 75 cm. gold chain.  Her long, midnight black hair hung loose down her back, tamed somewhat with a number of strategically placed jeweled pins across the back of her head just above her neck.  She had on a loose fitting black leather jacket, and was wearing a pair of black boots similar to Miranda’s.  Additionally, she was carrying a Karpov model-10 pistol in a specially designed and fitted holster attached to her bra under her left arm.  The gun’s grip, facing forward and down, allowed her to quickly reach under her sweater with her right hand, pull the pistol from the holster and have it ready to fire in under two seconds.  Miranda had expressed amazement that the bulk of the gun and holster were not noticeable from front or back.

They were enjoying their leisurely stroll as Miranda recounted some of her adventures when working for Cerberus.  As they walked along, enjoying the freedom to stretch their legs without having to be constantly on alert for trouble, they weaved in and out among a fair number of people walking in both directions, mostly Navy with a few Marines in the mix, plus some civilians, or service members in casual wear such as themselves.  The ‘avenue’ was wide enough to accommodate aircars, of which there were only a few here and there.

They were almost to the restaurant when Miranda noticed a couple of people walking unsteadily towards them from the shadows ahead.

Her fingertips glowing blue in anticipation, she gently grabbed Xiùlán’s arm as she took a closer look at the pair.  Was it…?  EDI?  Joker?  It turned out her intuition was correct as they came into the light; upon closer inspection, it was apparent that each was somehow supporting the other as they stumbled towards the docks, stopping only when Miranda and Xiùlán stepped right in front of them.

As neither of them had met Xiùlán in person, Miranda let go of her arm and directed her attention to Joker.  “Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau?  Is that really you?  And are you as intoxicated as you appear to be?”

Given the amount of time they had spent on the _SR2_ during the Cerberus-run campaign to stop the Collectors, Joker was not so blasted he couldn’t recognize Miranda ‘the Ice Queen’ Lawson, even with her new haircut and in her casual clothes.  Attempting to stand up straight while still holding onto EDI for dear life, he very nearly fell over backwards.

Holding his free hand over his head to stab at the sky for emphasis, he replied, “Ma’am, I’m not sure _what_ my appearance is, thus am unable to accurately answer your query as to the state of my ineb… inebri… drunkenness, Sir… Ma’am.”  His words were so slurred as to be nearly unrecognizable in Galactic, English, or any other language known to the galaxy; Miranda was sure she herself was becoming intoxicated just from breathing the fumes emanating from the snarky flight lieutenant. 

While Miranda talked to Joker and EDI, Xiùlán touched her ever-present comlink and called for Corporal Vic to send a marine to her location in order to return a pair of drunken officers to the Normandy. 

As Xiùlán finished her call for assistance, Miranda looked at EDI and asked her the same question; EDI’s reaction was similarly lacking in encouragement.

“If it appears I am totally shit-faced, Madam, then my answer to your inquiry regarding my level of intoxication would have to be a qualified ‘affirmative’, Ms Lawson, Ma’am.”  EDI’s illuminated visor was oscillating, displaying diagonal bands running from its center outward in both directions, varying in color from intense bright orange to deep violet and back as she swayed slightly in front of them.

“EDI,” Xiùlán tried and failed to hide the smile.  “You are a bio-mechanical woman, correct?  It should not be possible for your processors to be affected by alcohol or any other chemical you ingest.  Are you simulating drunkenness for Jeff’s benefit, or are you really _that_ messed up?  And if you are, how is that even possible?”

EDI was totally beyond caring what _anybody_ thought of her at this point.  “I have downed enough alcohol in… the form of… of tequila shots to… to the point I am…  am…  experiencing… ” the colors of her visor abruptly stopped cycling as it began strobing in a bright, bilious green that hurt the eyes; as the strobing increased in rate and intensity, Miranda grabbed Xiùlán’s arm and pulled her back and to the side while raising a parabolic shaped biotic shield in front of them. 

Without preamble EDI turned away from them and towards Joker as she folded her torso down at the hips and deposited the contents of her tortured stomach onto the pavement between them, with a portion of the liquid splashing onto their boots and pants.  Without Miranda’s shield, she and Xiùlán would have been in the splash zone as well; their own pants and shoes would have caught part of the pungent liquid, thus ruining their evening before it even got started.

Upon witnessing his ‘mobile assistance mech’ hurling dozens of credits worth of drinks onto the pavement _and_ their shoes and pants, Joker folded up beside her and tossed the contents of his own stomach at her feet.  Coughing and gasping as he attempted to catch his breath, he cried weakly, “Let’s get back to the ship, EDI.  I’ve think we’ve had just about enough liberty for one night!”

Miranda dropped her biotic shield as Xiùlán said, “Stay put, both of you.  Someone is coming to give you a ride back to the _Normandy_.”  Turning to Miranda, she said, “Wait here with them… I’ll be right back.

Running back in the direction from which the pair had come, she quickly disappeared into the shadows; within minutes she returned carrying a container of water and a towel.  Ignoring the people staring and whispering as they walked by in both directions, she offered some in turn to each of the miserable people standing in the puddle of their own making; the few sips each took helped ease the burning taste in their mouths.  Xiùlán gave the dampened towel to Joker so he could wipe his face, which appeared to have a greenish tinge in the dim light cast by the street lamps.  She was happy when the military aircar she’d requested approached and floated down to a stop a short distance away.

Corporal Vic had sent one of the _Normandy_ _’s_ night guards to transport the celebratory pair back to the ship, where they’d be spending the rest of the evening and night shift sobering up in the Med Bay under the watchful eyes of Doctor Chakwas and her staff.  The marine’s nose wrinkled at the smell as she carefully helped the brittle-boned pilot into the rear seat; EDI was still able to navigate under her own power, even if the path she chose meandered a bit from a straight line.  She managed to crawl into the back seat on her own; once there, she allowed the nearly unconscious Joker to lean on her.

Xiùlán addressed the young marine.  “Thanks for doing this, Private, and thank Corporal Vic for me.  It might not be a bad idea for you to don your rebreather helmet, or else fly back to the ship with the canopy partially open to keep air flowing.”

The marine took the towel and water container, grinned at her and thanked her for her concern.  “I’ll take it nice and slow; try to keep ‘em from getting motion sickness.  From the size of that puddle, I’d guess there’s nothing left for them to bring up, but… ,” here she paused as she touched a control in front of her, activating a clear compartment divider to rise into place behind her; this effectively walled off the back of her head and the seats from any liquid assaults.  “… this vehicle is _designed_ to transport drunks.”  With that, she lowered the canopy into place, lifted off while yawing the aircar around on its axis and headed back to the ship at minimum speed.

Miranda looked at Xiùlán and burst out laughing.  Responding to the puzzled look from her friend, she managed to explain between bouts of giggling, “Damn!  I was just imagining what Jack Harper would say if he could have seen _that_ performance from EDI!  Her platform was originally named for his girl friend, Eva Coré.”  Miranda’s voice betrayed a bit of sadness as she concluded, “Eva died helping Jack escape from a temple on Palaven right after the First Contact War.  He was never able to come to terms with her death, or that of his friend Ben Hislop.  The turians were involved, but I never discovered all the details.  Shortly after _that_ tragedy he wrote his manifesto and founded Cerberus.”

“Sounds like a story for another time, Miri.  Let’s go meet Alenko.  I’m ready to eat.”

* * *

*** CITADEL • _THE CAPTAIN’S TABLE_ RESTAURANT ***

“May I help you ladies?”  The maître d’ looked up from his desk, bored expression instantly becoming one of leering interest as he pointedly looked both women up and down; while Miranda displayed an annoyed expression, Xiùlán had seen the ‘look’ so many times she played _up_ to it instead of being irritated by it.

“We’re meeting someone,” she replied in a husky, heavily accented whisper while fingering the shark’s tooth visible on her chest.  “Alliance… Major in the Marines?  We’re just a bit late, so he’s probably already here,” she purred.  “Name’s Alenko.  Kaidan Alenko?”  She looked at him past heavy-lidded eyes, knowing the effect the exotic appearance of her face, rare for a human on the Citadel, provoked in males of most any race.

Her unfortunate victim swallowed with difficulty as he looked at his seating chart, and then stammered out a reply while picking up a pair of menus.  “Right this way, ladies.”

As they followed the flustered man into the restaurant, Miranda hissed at Xiùlán, “Just what the hell was _that_ all about?  I’ve _never_ seen you act _that_ way.”

“What way is _that_ , Miri?”  Xiùlán smiled back.  “Just keeping my skills sharp.  Never know when we’ll need to go undercover.  There’s no harm in using a bit of sex appeal to get what you want.”

“Yeah?  Well, someday that’s going to bite you in the ass, _if_ it doesn’t get you raped first!

The maître d’ led them to a table near the edge of the floor, with a good view of most of the tables and patrons enjoying dinner.  The place, while busy, was not very crowded.  Kaidan rose from his chair to assist Miranda into her seat, while the still flustered maître d’ pulled a chair out on the other side for Xiùlán.  As they took their seats, he said in a nervous tone, “Enjoy your dinner, folks.”  Miranda gave Xiùlán a sharp look before shifting her attention to Alenko.

Kaidan had looked at Lawson as if seeing her for the first time.  “My god, Miranda.  You look absolutely gorgeous!”  He dropped his eyes to the table as he blushed.  Looking back up at her, he smiled and added, “My apologies.  It’s been quite some time since I’ve been anywhere nice.  Having a couple of stunning women… ” here he looked at Xiùlán for a moment before looking back at Miranda, “… to share a nice meal with?  It’s really good to be back in civilization.”  Pausing to collect his thoughts, he continued on.  “But where _are_ my manners?  What can I get you to drink?  Xiùlán?  Miranda?”

Miranda replied softly, “You can call me ‘Miri’.  I’d enjoy that, since I’ll soon be answering to ‘Specialist’.  And you… ?”

“Just ‘Kaidan’.  And you still haven’t told me what you’d like to drink.”

Xiùlán grinned as she said, “After what we just witnessed on the street on our way here?  Not sure I can ever look at alcohol the same way again.”

“Oh?  What happened?”  Alenko’s looked interestedly from one to the other.

“Joker and EDI returning from whatever bar they’d been giving financial aid to,” Lawson replied with a grin of her own.  “All the credits he spent are lying in a puddle of liquid in the street _and_ on their shoes and pants legs.  Xiùlán decided to call for transport to take them back to the ship.”

“Drunk?  _Really_?  _Both_ of them?”

“Three sheets to the wind, Major - totally ripped,” Xiùlán added with a smirk of her own.  “If Miri hadn’t moved us back and raised a biotic shield, we’d have been a _whole_ lot later arriving here.” 

Kaidan’s grin was infectious.  “I’d never have guessed alcohol could affect EDI.  Joker?  He spends way too much time in his leather seat.  He got pretty drunk at Shepard’s apartment, the last… ” he stopped, grin fading as he thought back to the party.  “… well, at Shepard’s party.  She had a final get-together for the crew and friends.”

Looking at Miranda, he continued with a grin, “Hell, you and Jack spent most of the time there busting each other’s chops… have you heard from her since then?”

“Afraid not.  She wasn’t that into maintaining relationships,” Miranda said sadly.  “I don’t even know if she made it through the past six, seven months alive.  She was looking out for her kids… wasn’t about to let anything happen to them.”

“I never had the opportunity to get to know her… my loss, from the sound of things.”  Kaidan reached over and took Miranda’s hand.  “So, what can I get for you?”

“Gin and tonic would be fine… Kaidan.”  Miranda offered up one of her shy, ‘not-sure-where-this-is-going’ smiles.  “And considering Jack’s issues with authority, you not knowing her better may have been a good thing for you, although she _had_ mellowed somewhat by the time Shepard had her party.” 

Xiùlán was beginning to realize she had quickly become, as an old expression described it, a ‘third wheel’, as Kaidan looked at her, quizzical expression on his face.   “I’d really enjoy a vodka martini, Major.”

Kaidan nodded as he punched in the order on his omnitool.  It chimed softly as the cost of the drinks was deducted from his account.  “They’ll arrive shortly.  So, dinner.  I’m told the steaks they serve are from Argentinean raised cattle… or, we can have seafood if you like.  I took the liberty of ordering appetizers and salads for the three of us.”  Thinking about EDI and Joker, he continued with, “The trick to not getting messed up like Joker and EDI?  Food in your stomach to go with the booze, and booze in moderation.”

Their drinks arrived as their server brought the salads and appetizers.  Kaidan lifted his own glass over the center of the table.  “A toast,” he said.  When his companions had raised their glasses, he continued.  “To all that binds us as one.  To old and dear friends.  To new friends… ” he looked straight at Miranda, who reddened slightly, looked down for a moment then looked back up, returning his gaze with equal intensity.  “To friends and family we’ll never see again.  To youth.  To passion.  To a peaceful coexistence with the machines that wanted us dead.  May we all find good fortune in the future.”  He touched the rim of his glass to Xiùlán’s as she touched Miranda’s, then touched his glass to Miranda’s, leaving her fingers tingling where he brushed them with his own.

Xiùlán smiled as she watched shyness mixed with uncertainty playing out on Miranda’s face.  She would need a lot of time to open up to a man, _any_ man, after the brutal treatment she’d received at the hands of the Blue Suns.

Seeing that the major was _very_ interested in getting to know the former Cerberus operative better… _much_ better, if she was any judge, gave her a good feeling inside.  She didn’t need to _know_ Kaidan Alenko to know he was a decent and honorable person.  Miranda Lawson was going to be okay. 

* * *

The trio was finishing dinner when Miranda announced she needed to go to the restroom.  Xiùlán noticed the way Kaidan studied Miranda as she walked away from their table and had to agree – the woman’s figure was stunning from _any_ angle.

Xiùlán grabbed Kaidan’s hand to get his full attention.  “Major, I want you to know I really appreciate you taking an interest in Miri.  However, and this is important – she has been through absolute hell at the hands of the Blue Suns.”  She activated her omnitool as she continued.  “I’m forwarding you a heavily redacted copy of my mission report to Captain Cody, in which I outlined the conditions in which we found her and her physical state at that time.”

Alenko's omnitool lit up in response and then shut down.  Xiùlán looked away to make sure Miranda wasn't already on her way back to the table, then returned her attention to Alenko as he asked, "Why are you sharing this with me, Commander?  I'd heard she was brutalized… and… ," he paused, then whispered softly, "… raped."

"Because you need to understand why I consider her to still be in a fragile mental state.  She had virtually given up… was near death when we found her… and I don't think she'd have been alive much longer," Xiùlán all but hissed.  "The batarians used her like a piece of meat… blocked her biotics with drugs… beat her mercilessly and repeatedly.  There was a human involved as well… that little bastard's currently in an Alliance lockup for an attempt on both of our lives.”  Xiùlán, seeing Miranda on her way back from across the room, drew her hand back.

“Major, I believe you are a decent and honorable person, otherwise I wouldn’t share this information with you, and I’d like you to delete it after reading it.  If you plan on starting a serious relationship with Miri, I want you to be aware of what she endured.  Be careful.  Take things slow… for her sake.”

Xiùlán smiled up at Miranda as she walked up to the table and retook her seat.  “What’d I miss?”  she asked, looking at each of her two dinner companions.  “Hope you’re not talking about work… not tonight.”

“We’re simply commenting on the number of men in this place that appear jealous of the company I keep,” Kaidan responded with a smile.  “Now, anyone ready for desert?”

“Not me, Major,” Xiùlán said, holding her hands up palms outwards.  “Meal like this?  I don’t think I’ll even need breakfast!  As it is, I need to head back to the ship.  Got a lot of status reports to go through before tomorrow.”

Miranda started to protest.  “Xiùlán, really?  You sure that can’t wait?” 

“You stay here, Miri… the major will accompany you back to the ship.  Just… ” she glanced at Kaidan with the slightest hint of snarkiness in her expression, “… try’n make it back by midnight.  You’ll be getting your new eye tomorrow.  Wouldn’t want you to oversleep… ”

She stood and pushed her chair in.  “Major, it’s been a delightful evening.  Thank you so much for dinner… and the drinks.  I’ll see you on the _Normandy_ in a couple of days.” 

Alenko rose from his chair to bid her good evening; Xiùlán smiled at him, winked at Miranda, then turned and headed back to the ship, leaving the couple in conversation over dessert and Serrice Ice Brandy.

* * *

*** INSIDE THE ANCIENT REPOSITORY HARBINGER ***

Specialist Samantha Traynor woke up slowly, regretting (not for the first time) her lack of planning concerning spending more than a few hours in this miserable shuttlecraft.  There was a crick in her neck from sleeping sitting up with her head tilted to one side; attempting to move revealed a distinct stiffness in her legs and hips.  As she slowly got to her feet and stretched, she realized the inside of her mouth tasted as if she’d eaten an old gym sock.  She took several swigs of water from her E-ration as she downed an energy bar and then checked on her companions.  Both were still asleep, so she grabbed a spare med-pack before carefully stepping over the jammed lower hatch and walking around the nose of the wrecked UT-47.

She used the makeshift ‘loo’ Harbinger had created for their use; while her ‘outers’ were still loose, she used some of the disinfectant wipes from the med-pack to freshen up a bit, cleaning the skin of her upper torso and underarms as best she could.  _‘Damn, but what I wouldn’t give for a leisurely hot shower… reminds me of the mission on Cartagena Station,’_ she thought.  _‘I guess I could have asked Harbinger for a shower as well, but I don’t expect I’d be comfortable… ’_ she looked around the huge open space around her, _‘… about stripping down and showering out here.  Don’t ‘ave a clue how he makes water anyway… ’_

After refastening pants and shirt and gathering up the discarded items for recycling, she walked around to the far side of the shuttle in case Cortez woke up and needed to ‘go’; stopping about ten meters from the shuttle, she cleared her mind, took a deep breath, exhaled slowly and began her exercise routine – a form of Tai Chi called _Neigong_ she had learned from Xiùlán when they were still in school together.  _‘Seems so long ago…  stop thinking about that… clear your mind!’_ Sam closed her eyes, willing herself to ignore the nightmarish surroundings as she performed the slow, methodical positioning moves that always served to center her mentally and return balance to her soul…

Steve Cortez had risen shortly after the specialist, and after taking care of his own needs at the ‘loo’ had gone for a run while Traynor continued her exercises.  He discovered the atmospheric bubble within which they were staying only extended about 25 meters past the shuttle.  He guessed there was hard vacuum and sub-zero cold beyond, and thought about what would happen to them if the bubble were to disappear while the shuttle was unsealed.  He jogged back towards Traynor; grabbing her recyclables as he went past her, he reentered the shuttle and deposited the bundles in the storage compartment under the rear seats.

He had eaten a couple of energy bars as he was running, so took a long drink of water from his E-kit while inspecting the console displaying their velocity and positional data; it appeared they were now quite close to the salarian home system, so he was not surprised to receive an intercom ‘hail’ from their massive host.

› _Cortez-Lieutenant.   Travel towards Pranas system relay is nearly complete.  Remaining travel time to relay is 3.6 hours._‹

Cortez replied, “Have you informed Admiral Hackett of this?”

› _It has been done, Cortez-Lieutenant.   I will inform you when we are fifteen minutes from relay transit.  Logging you out._‹

“Tali’Zorah?  You awake yet?”  Steve thought it best to have everyone ready for transit. 

Peering around the bulkhead into the crew compartment, he saw Tali starting to stir.  She had chosen to sleep with her helmet on, more out of habit than from any fears for her safety… the atmosphere being provided by their host was as free of impurities as that of any of the ships in the flotilla.  “I’m waking up, Lieutenant.  Ready to see the Citadel.”

Touching his comlink, he called Traynor to pass on the information.

* * *

*** NORMANDY DECK TWO · PORT SIDE AIRLOCK ***

Xiùlán walked up to the two marines standing watch at the _Normandy’s_ airlock; showing them her military I.D., she asked, “Permission to come aboard?  I was the one that summoned a ride for Flight Lieutenant Moreau and his mech earlier this evening.  Just wanted to check in with your ship’s doctor, see how they’re doing.”

“Please stand by, Commander,” replied the one closest to her.  “I’ll have someone come up to speak with you.”  Xiùlán could see by their insignia they were part of the Marine contingent from the Orizaba.

She didn’t have long to wait; a woman wearing the working uniform of the Navy’s medical branch walked out of the passageway, stepped off the ship and stuck out her hand as she said, “Commander Yuán?  I’m Doctor Karin Chakwas.  Pleasure to meet you.  After all this time I almost feel as if I’ve known you forever.  What can I do for you, my dear?”

“Pleasure’s all mine, Doctor.  I’m just checking on the pair of miscreants I had picked up earlier this evening.  How are they doing?”

“Joker… Lieutenant Moreau?  Oh, he’ll be fine in the morning, as will EDI.  He’ll have a headache to remind him of the good time he had.  I understand they both…?”

“Oh yes, indeed they did.  Glad Miranda pulled us back and raised a shield, or we might have been wearing part of that offering,” Xiùlán snarked.

“Offering?”  Chakwas asked, clearly not getting the reference.

“The amount of liquid they each offered up?”  Xiùlán chuckled.  “Normally when one has downed _that_ much booze, there’s barely enough time to crawl to the nearest toilet and deposit the offering within.”

“I see.  Well, I should think this might be a valuable lesson for EDI,” Chakwas said in a thoughtful tone.  “She generally doesn’t make mistakes of any kind, but this little experience will most likely enable her to prevent Jeff from making the same mistake again, at least as long as she’s accompanying him.”

“Excellent.  It’s always amazed me how quickly getting sick and having a hangover is forgotten when one goes out drinking the _next_ time.”  Xiùlán offered her hand to the doctor again.  “Anyway, I need to return to my ship.  Still have some reports to approve before I turn in for the night, and it’ll give me something to do while I wait for Alenko and Lawson to return from the restaurant.  Nice meeting you, Doctor.”

“Ahhh, I was wondering where he went,” she replied as realization struck.  “I didn’t think he got _that_ dressed up to simply go ashore, and I should have noticed your own outfit.  You do look _rather_ dazzling, my dear.  Did you enjoy yourself?”

“Oh yes.  Dinner was most excellent, as was the company.”

“Wonderful.  I’m going to be visiting Huerta Memorial tomorrow.  If the _Normandy_ isn’t ready to leave by the end of my liberty, I may be assigned there temporarily.”

“Really?  I’ll be there as well,” Xiùlán replied.  “Miranda will be getting her new eye tomorrow afternoon.”

Karin’s mouth fell open in surprise.  “No one told me she’d been injured.  What happened to her?”

“Too much to go into right now, Doctor.  Our ship’s doctor… Doctor Phelps… will be performing the procedure.  You should meet him.  I know you’d have a lot to talk about.”

“I just may look in on them.  Thank you, Commander.  It was nice chatting.”

* * *

*** SSV HONG KONG II · XO’s QUARTERS ***

Xiùlán had tasked a monitor on her desk to display a view of the area in front of the side-by-side docked ships after returning from the restaurant, where she had left Miranda in the company of Kaidan Alenko.  She glanced at it frequently as she worked her way through the stack of datapads containing systems reports from various departments on the ship.  She had not bothered to change out of her civilian attire after returning to her quarters, as her next destination would be her bed.

Movement on the monitor caught her eye; Kaidan and Miranda were strolling towards the nose of the _Hong Kong_ , each with an arm around the other’s waist.  Xiùlán quickly changed the monitor view to just the upper level as they stopped outside the _Hong Kong_ _’s_ airlock.  It appeared Alenko intended to just say ‘good night’ as he gently turned Miranda to face him.

After a few moments, Kaidan reached around Miranda to embrace her in a tight hug; she appeared to stiffen for a moment before she slowly, hesitantly, wrapped her arms around him as well.  Kaidan quickly kissed her and appeared ready to let go, but Miranda didn’t give him the chance, deftly returning his kiss before he could back away.  Xiùlán couldn’t see Kaidan’s hands, but _was_ able to discern a faint blue glow surrounding Miranda’s hands on his back.  She continued holding him tightly, as if she was now _afraid_ to let go, until he brought his hands up to her arms and pushed back slightly.  She allowed him to kiss her once more before dropping her arms to her sides.  Kaidan rubbed her arms up and down once, then dropped his hands so she could turn and enter the _Hong Kong_.

Xiùlán quickly changed the feed on the monitor to one from the engineering deck and had just returned her attention to the datapad in front of her when the door lock was keyed, allowing Miranda to enter the compartment.  Xiùlán looked up, schooling her expression to that of surprise.  “Back so soon?  How was dessert?”

“The whole evening was simply fabulous, Xiùlán.”  Miranda sat in the chair in front of the desk.  “I’m glad we went… glad _I_ went… nicest time I’ve had in… I don’t know how long.”

“So, what’d you think of Major Alenko?”

“He seems very nice,” came the dreamy toned response.  Miranda fixed Xiùlán with her one-eyed gaze.  “But do you think it was really a good idea to leave me alone with the major?   Or is that just your way of looking out for me?”

“You’re a grown woman, Miranda.  Your body is healed, biotics back online… you certainly don’t need _me_ to look out for you, although I do appreciate the thought.”  Xiùlán reached across the desk, using her fingers to gently stroke the back of Miranda’s hand.  “You’ve come a long way, Miri.  You don’t have to let what happened in Vancouver define the rest of your life.  It’s in the past.  What those bastards… ” Xiùlán left the thought unfinished as she saw the glint of anguish in Miranda’s eye.

“Look at me, Xiùlán,” Miranda whispered.  “The Blue Suns… those batarians… abused me, physically… mentally!  I can still see their leering faces when I close my eyes at night… still feel their filthy hands on me.  The bad dreams are fewer, but they haven’t gone away.”  She paused to collect her thoughts, then continued, “Kaidan held me in his arms, Xiùlán.  He had his hands on my back!  I almost lost it, almost fought to get free!  I finally put my arms around him… what else was I to do?”  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  “Then he kissed me.  I’ve… my god, I’ve almost forgotten what it felt like… to have a man kiss… kiss me goodnight, no ulterior motives… no expectations.  It felt… so… right, you know?  It’s been so long… but… ” she looked down as her words trailed away to silence.

“But what, Miri?”  Xiùlán prompted.  “Tell me what you’re thinking.” 

“How am I ever going to get past my fears?  I don’t think… ”

“Hey!  Don’t even go there, Miri!  You are a beautiful woman… a beautiful person!  Don’t _ever_ think otherwise.  _None_ of what was inflicted on you was your fault.  I am sure it’s going to be difficult, but you simply _have_ to let all that go.  I think there’s a man on the _Normandy_ that is quite smitten with you, every bit as infatuated as you seem to think Captain Cody is with me.  He’s an officer, a gentleman, _and_ he’s a Council Spectre.  _Give_ him that chance.  I don’t think he’ll disappoint.”  Xiùlán leaned down so she could look up into Miranda’s face.  “Miri?  Isn’t it worth a try?”

Lawson looked at her friend for an instant before looking away.  “I’ll think about what you’ve said,” she whispered.  Raising her head, she continued in a firmer voice, “I should go to bed… get some sleep.  I’m getting a new eye tomorrow.  Have to be up early.” 

She looked down at the commander's hand, still resting lightly on top of her own.  With a heavy sigh she thought back over the events of the past several weeks and contemplated their relationship.  She had few friends before leaving home… none of them women.  Every woman she met had been wary of her, kept her at arm’s length.  Looking back up, she studied this woman’s face, searched her eyes.  “You've been tremendously supportive since the beginning… since you rescued me.”  She swallowed past the lump forming in her throat as her eye glistened with moisture.  “I certainly haven’t treated you as the friend you most certainly have become, Yuán Xiùlán.”

Rising from the chair and slowly moving to stand beside the commander, she leaned down and kissed her forehead, whispering in a voice tight with emotion, “You deserve better from me.  Thank you.”  With that, she turned and walked to the back of the compartment to change and crawl in bed, leaving Xiùlán with her datapads.

Without conscious thought Xiùlán’s hand moved to the tiger shark tooth hanging from her neck.  She carefully ran her fingers along its edges as she thought about Mars… January 2180… the Year of the Dragon.  Sammy had given her this necklace for a New Year's present; it wasn't until afterwards she'd discovered Traynor had spent nearly six months wages to buy it and have it shipped to Mars from her hometown of Shanghai.  She held the tooth flat across her fingertips, admiring the exquisite inlays of platinum and gold and wondering… as a single tear overflowed and ran down her cheek, she wondered… how much longer before she'd be able to hold her own true love in her arms again; Samantha Traynor could not return soon enough.


	47. Return of the Three

_There was a crash like the falling parts of a dream fashioned out of warped glass, mirrors, and crystal prisms.  –_ Ray Bradbury, _Fahrenheit 451_

* * *

*** SSV HONG KONG II · XO’s QUARTERS ***

Xiùlán jerked upright in her bed, heart pounding, face and body beaded with sweat.  She frantically looked around for a moment before realizing she was in her own bed, in her own quarters on the _Hong Kong_.  Flopping back down on her back, she looked at the small chrono on her nightstand – 0615.  Bringing her hands up, she rubbed her face before deciding to get up – wasn’t likely she could go back to sleep after the nightmare that had forced her awake.  Shedding her sleep shirt and panties, she put on her silk robe, gathered up a few supplies and clean underclothes and headed for the showers.

* * *

> **FROM:** Staff Commander Yuán Xiùlán - SN 8257-PVG-09186
> 
> **TO:** RaeLee Park, Major General, Systems Alliance Command
> 
> **CC:** Admiral Steven Hackett, SSV Orizaba; Captain William Cody, SSV Hong Kong II
> 
> Major General Park:
> 
> In response to the text communication recently routed through Admiral Hackett’s private extranet account, I will appear before the Naval Judge Advocate General on the Citadel to provide sworn testimony and furnish signed mission reports in the matter of criminal charges by the Alliance against one Jason Joesiar.
> 
> Additionally, I will have shuttle pilot Flight Lieutenant Wendy Michele Hall and each of the marines (with the exception of Private Charles Hamilton, KIA) from my squads testify before the JAG regarding their roles in rescuing Ms Lawson and protecting her subsequent to Joesiar’s capture and arrest.
> 
> Finally, I will either personally escort or provide armed escort for Ms Miranda Lawson, the woman rescued by my squad, so she can testify concerning her captivity in Vancouver, BC by the Blue Suns and the subsequent attempts on her life by the aforementioned group.
> 
> While it will be the responsibility of the JAG to forward all sworn and signed statements to your office for use in prosecuting the accused, I will forward signed copies of any and all mission reports concerning Mr.  Joesiar to you personally via a secure courier.
> 
> Should you need any other information concerning this matter, please feel free to contact me at your convenience – I will be only too happy to provide whatever assistance you may need to successfully prosecute Mr.  Joesiar for his crimes.
> 
> Yuán Xiùlán, Staff Commander, SSV Hong Kong II

* * *

Xiùlán sighed as she authenticated her message and placed it in the high-priority queue for upload to the server node.  General Park had been more than a friend during the years she had known her – Yuán would move heaven and hell for the woman if she requested it.

Now she had to make good on her promise; she needed to send Flight Lieutenant Hall, Corporal Vic and Private Abbott, along with the squad leader from the group that had actually engaged Joesiar and his minions on the day he was captured, to see the representative for the JAG.  Activating her omnitool again, she sent a short text message to each of them before beginning to look at some of the ‘paperwork’ she’d been neglecting for the past couple of days.

It didn’t seem to matter whether the vessel was in space or docked, the flow of ship’s status reports was a never ending stream of datapads from the various departments and officers on the ship, all of which had to come across her desk for review and approval before the information could be downloaded to the servers for archiving.

“Good morning, Commander.  Didn’t expect to see you up so soon after the wonderful dinner we had last night.”  Miranda Lawson entered Xiùlán’s quarters with a smile and took a seat in one of the two chairs facing her desk.

“Nor I you, Miranda.  Your procedure isn’t scheduled for a few hours yet.  What’s up?”

“Well, I decided to go to Huerta Memorial early so I could take advantage of the new escort I seem to have picked up.”  Miranda blushed like a school girl as she dipped her eyes and grinned.  “Major Alenko offered to accompany me to my appointment with Doctor Phelps.  I told him I’d be fine walking there on my own, but he insisted he be allowed to do so.  How do I say ‘no’ to that?  I think he may have heard about all the trouble that seems to take place around me, even though you and I both know it’s all _your_ fault.”

“Ahhh, you give me too much credit, Ms Lawson.  I think it’s that aura surrounding _you_ … the one that says…” here Xiùlán slipped into a sing-song voice, “… _‘I used to work for The Illusive Man’_ … plus, all the trouble, people and credits you’ve cost them, which seems to be what’s _really_ driving all this attention.”

Miranda was starting to reply with something equally as snarky when the door lock chimed.  Xiùlán keyed the door intercom and asked, “Who is it?”

“Major Alenko, Commander.  May I come in?”

Xiùlán smiled and remotely released the lock as Miranda rose from her chair, reaching the door as it finished opening to admit the major, who grinned at the former Cerberus operative.  “Good morning, Miri.”  Looking past her to Yuán, he nodded and said, “Commander?”

Xiùlán bade Alenko come in for a few minutes.  “Would you care for something to eat or drink, Major?”

“Thank you, but no.  I’m just here to escort Ms Lawson to Huerta Memorial for her procedure,” Kaidan replied.  “Will you be going with us, Commander?”

“I’m afraid I have a bit of a hole to dig myself out of,” she said, waving at the stack of datapads.  “If I don’t do a few every shift, they pile up and I play hell trying to get caught up with ‘em.  That…” waving a hand at the offending stacks of pads, “… is about two days’ worth.”

Kaidan grimaced.  “I can sympathize.  I used to do some of that on the old _Normandy_ SR-1.  But this ship is docked, Commander.  Surely the maintenance logs and reports…”

“…docked or in space, this ship is nothing but a bunch of high tech equipment operating in tight formation,” Xiùlán replied before he could finish.  “Always something wearing out, breaking, falling apart… _someone_ needs to keep track of it all.”  Xiùlán smiled and winked at Miranda.  “You two go ahead.  Chances are I’ll be there in time to greet you when you wake up, Miri.  Good luck.”

Miranda stood and turned towards her friend.  “You sure, Xiùlán?”

“Yes.”  Waving them towards the compartment door, she added, “Get going.”

* * *

*** ANNOS BASIN · PRANAS SYSTEM ***

The beyond-ancient Repository known as Harbinger was approaching the mass relay in the salarian home system of Pranas.  The relay responded to the old machine’s directions by reorienting itself for transit to the relay in the Widow system.  Additionally, Harbinger had sent messages to Esiz’Qür and Asharru, the two Guardians intimately connected to the humans aboard _Orizaba_ -dreadnaught, Hackett-Admiral’s flagship, and _Hong Kong_ -frigate, Yuán Xiùlán-Staff Commander’s ship, informing them of his imminent arrival at the relay there.  As he continued to slow his velocity for relay activation, he directed part of his awareness inward, to the two humans and one quarian waiting at the bottom of his massive cargo area.

› _Cortez-Lieutenant : Relay activation and transit will begin in less than fifteen minutes._‹

Cortez smiled as he glanced around the bulkhead; Tali was strapped into her seat, and Traynor was busy stowing the last of the loose equipment and recyclables.  She took the seat next to Tali and started buckling in for what all three hoped would be a much more routine trip than the one they’d experienced attempting to transit from the Charon relay.

 _“Thank you, Harbinger,”_ Steve replied.  _“We’re almost ready.”_  Cortez went back ‘outside’ and circled the disabled craft, making sure nothing was being left behind.  He re-entered and turned the valve to close the upper hatch section, which obligingly lowered into place and latched into the door frame as it always had.  The lower panel, which had refused to move when Steve had originally attempted to open it, was still jammed in the opening as tightly as ever.  Performing a quick cabin pressure test revealed no leakage; looking at Tali and Sam, he nodded and said, “Looks like we’re almost home, people,” then surprised the pair by sitting in one the rearward facing chairs behind the bulkhead.  As he strapped into the seat he snarked, “Nothing left to pilot up front, so I may as well join you.  Don’t get to ride back here too often.”

“Nice to have the company, Lieutenant.”  Tali replied.  “Wish you were going to be piloting us out of here.”

“As do I.  Only the second shuttle I’ve ever wrecked.  Glad Vega wasn’t here to see it.”

It was Traynor’s turn to be snarky.  “At least you didn’t wreck it deliberately…don’t forget Lieutenant Vega’s collision on Mars.”

“Yeah, but that was to prevent a Cerberus shuttle from escaping with EDI’s new mobile platform,” Cortez snarked back.  “ _And_ he managed to put it down safely!”

› _Cortez-Lieutenant : Relay transit will begin in five minutes._‹

_“Thanks, Harbinger.  We’re ready to go.”_

* * *

*** SERPENT NEBULA · WIDOW SYSTEM ***

The Widow System Relay was among the oldest in the galaxy.  The Citadel, pride and seat of power for each and every space-faring civilization that had risen to prominence in the millions of years prior to its discovery by the Protheans, was _itself_ a mass relay; unlike any of the other relays in the galaxy, the Citadel was not linked to any of them.  Its programming allowed _only_ the Reapers to transit, and then only from dark space and back; the additional nearby relay – the _Widow_ Relay – was required by the Reapers to maintain the illusion that the Citadel was nothing more than its existence implied.  More importantly from the Reapers perspective, the Citadel was bait, its central location the lure needed to ensnare whatever race came through the Widow Relay.

It had been learned by Commander Shepard during her pursuit of the rogue Spectre Saren Arterius that the Citadel _itself_ was actually the Reaper’s point of entry.  A clandestine project by a group of Prothean scientists on the planet Ilos had unlocked a gateway – the Conduit – to the Relay Monument, itself an actual but inactive small-scale mass relay on the Presidium.  This ‘back door’ onto the Citadel was utilized by Shepard to follow Saren and disrupt his attempt to allow _Sovereign’s_ activation of the Citadel, thus preventing the Reaper invasion.  It had since been determined these paired relays were once again dormant, and despite efforts by a number of experts in the mechanics of relay operation, the Citadel/Ilos Relay pair could not be brought back online.

At the Widow Relay, the core control rings slowly, almost imperceptibly, increased their rotational speed as the massive machine responded to commands from the Pranas System Relay and ponderously realigned itself for transit between them.  The reconstructed relay was operating within safety parameters, even though it continued to display fluctuations in its dark energy output when activated.

Esiz’Qür and Asharru had each been tasked with clearing the area around the relay for reception of the massive organic machine.  The very act of a ship transiting a relay pair meant there was a temporal displacement at the receiving relay; with a ‘vessel’ as large as Harbinger, the displacement acted on a large area ahead of and to the sides of the relay as the space/time corridor closed behind the vessel and it returned to sub-light velocity; smaller vessels nearby would simply be shoved out of the way.  Proximity to the receiving relay dictated the amount of displacement, with the effect tapering off rather rapidly with increased distance from the containment rings.

Esiz’Qür sent a message to Hackett-Admiral and Shepard-Normandy informing them of Harbinger’s imminent arrival; Yuán-Commander received a notification from Asharru.

Admiral Hackett’s immediate reaction was to notify the captain of the _Orizaba_ , tasking him with retrieval of the _Normandy’_ s stranded crew members and recovery of the wrecked UT-47 lying at the bottom of Harbinger’s hanger/storage compartment.

As the Relay’s core containment rings reached their maximum rotational velocity, the eezo core brightened to a white-hot brilliance simultaneous to Harbinger seemingly appearing out of nowhere with electrical discharges playing along his extremities and massive body during his rapid deceleration from the FTL speed generated by the paired relays to a relative near stop beside the 15-Km long device.  Making an immediate course correction, he was quickly joined by Esiz’Qür and Asharru as he moved in the direction of the _Orizaba_.  The three old machines left eddies marking their passage through the gaseous cloud surrounding the relay and the Citadel. 

* * *

*** HUERTA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL · SECURE PATIENT CARE ***

Xiùlán almost ran into Doctor Chakwas as she left the elevator from the main level.  She appeared to be engaged in a serious discussion with the _Hong Kong’s_ Doctor Phelps, but stopped talking when she noticed the Staff Commander approaching.

“Commander Yuán… how nice to see you again.  I was just talking to Doctor Phelps about Ms Lawson’s case.  The woman’s steel grey eyes flashed with disbelief mixed with a smoldering anger as she continued.  “Horrifying, beyond any words I could ever utter to describe it!  I wouldn’t have believed _anyone_ of _any_ race capable of treating another person in such a despicable manner.  Absolute beasts, the lot of them.”  She grew contemplative as she thought about the reasons any of them were standing here today.  “That she was able to heal so quickly can probably be attributed to the effects of Rachaél Shepard’s choice of synthesis to end the war.”

“You’ll get no argument from me about her captors, Doctor.  Just be glad you didn’t have to see the conditions in which they were keeping her.”

Turning her attention to Doctor Phelps, she asked, “How’s Miranda doing, Doc.  Will her vision be as good as it was before her encounter with the Blue Suns?”

Doctor Chakwas snorted in derision as Doctor Phelps responded, “Probably better.  The implant procedure went beautifully and the synthetic nanites in her system were beginning the healing process even _before_ I was completely done.  I’ll recommend she continue to wear the eye patch for a couple of days, but she’s a remarkable person, Commander, very strong…  _and_ a fast healer.  You can go see her if you wish… down the hallway, second door on the left.”

“Thanks, Doc.”  With a quick smile and a nod of her head to Doctor Chakwas, she turned and headed in the indicated direction.

Xiùlán walked into the patient wing and to the door for Miranda’s room, where she was almost ready to activate the door lock access request when she heard soft voices.  Listening carefully, she could just make out a familiar sounding male voice, pitched too low to make out the words.  Rapping her knuckles lightly on the panel, she waved her arm past the green-lit haptic latch to open the door; somehow, she was not surprised to find Major Kaidan Alenko perched on a stool on the far side of Lawson’s bed.

“Commander!  Come in, come in,” Kaidan beckoned with a grin.  “I was telling Miranda about some of my missions with Shepard when we were chasing Saren across the galaxy.”

Xiùlán moved to stand beside the bed across from Kaidan; she gazed fondly at Miranda as she said with a snarky grin, “Hey, Lawson.  You sure seem to spend a lot of time in this place.  Any chance we’re going to get some actual work out of you anytime soon?”

Miranda, still a bit groggy from the anesthesia, looked at her with a slight frown and asked, “Who are you again?”

“Seriously?”  Xiùlán tried but couldn’t keep the corners of her mouth from twitching up ever so slightly.  “You’re going to turn my own joke around on me?  You _know_ that only works if you speak Chinese, don’t you?”

Miranda grinned cheekily.  “Oh, I think I could have probably made it work, if the major here hadn’t welcomed you in so damned eagerly.”  She turned her head to look at Alenko, who blushed slightly as he smiled and returned her gaze.

Yuán glanced quickly at Kaidan as she placed the palm of her hand on Miranda’s collar bone and gently gripped her shoulder.  “Seriously Miri, how’re you doing?  All okay?”

“I’m fine, Xiùlán.  Doctor Phelps says the operation was a success.  He’ll take the bandages off tomorrow after I return to the ship… leave me wearing my eye patch for a few days.”

“Okay then.  Looks like you have all the company you need for the day.  I’ll be heading back to the docks after I make a few stops.  Harbinger is supposed to be returning with the _Normandy’s_ Reaper salvage team.  Anything you need before tomorrow, send me a message.”

Alenko, quiet up to this point, spoke up.  “No need to bother the commander, Miri.  You say the word; I can pick up whatever you need.”

Miranda turned her attention back to Alenko as she smiled; proving she was recovering from the anesthesia faster than should have been possible, she innocently asked, “Even girlie stuff, Major?”

Kaidan coughed as he blushed and stammered a response, “Ahh, yeah, I can do that.  Wait, what kind of ‘girlie’ stuff might we be talking about?” 

Xiùlán chuckled as she interrupted, “Like I said, Miri… let me know.”

As Yuán turned to leave, Miranda grabbed her hand.  “Thanks for coming by, Xiùlán.”  There was no sign of joking in her expression or tone of voice.  “I _really_ appreciate your concern.  See you tomorrow?”

“You bet, Lawson.  You have a lot of new stuff to learn.”  She kissed Miranda’s knuckles, let her hand go, nodded to Kaidan, said, “Major…,” and left for the docks.

* * *

*** HUERTA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL · TURIAN SECTION, C-SEC ***

Commander Armando-Owen Bailey hated this place… the smells of sterility, mixed with equal parts alcohol, medigel and bleach.  No matter how many times he came here (and he felt he had made _more_ than his fair share of trips here lately), he just couldn’t shake the feeling that it was an unhealthy place for _any_ soldier to be.

It had been several weeks since he had led a major raid against _InNetCo_ , a Blue Suns shell company in an outer ward of the Citadel’s ‘Delta’ arm.  A portion of his squad, including squad leader Sergeant Esilaro, had been severely injured by a remotely triggered explosion set off by a person or persons unknown.  Many of the injured had subsequently succumbing to their injuries.

Sergeant Esilaro had been here in Huerta Memorial since undergoing emergency surgery to save his life.  Bailey had made it a point to visit the big turian as often as the job permitted; the visits were mainly a way for Bailey to keep Esilaro’s head in the game, but also to help assuage his own feelings of guilt concerning the turian’s near fatal encounter with a Blue Suns engineered death trap.  In addition to just visiting to keep his morale up, they used their time together to piece together information gleaned from a number of sources, some legal, others not so.

“Still no signs of activity in that area, Sir?”  If Esilaro was hurting, he didn’t allow it to color his speech.

“Nothing,” Bailey muttered.  “It’s as if they moved everything to another ward.  Hell, they could just as easily have relocated to one of the other arms.  Rooting them out of the Citadel is going to be more difficult than exterminating ants!”

Esilaro looked at Bailey quizzically as he asked, “What’s an… _ant_?”

Bailey laughed at this and explained briefly about the Earth insect and it’s propensity for living in burrows with thousands or hundreds of thousands of its kind.

The big turian fixed him with a glint in his eyes.  “Mostly female, you say?” 

“Yep.  They _do_ keep a few males around for procreation, but I suppose it _could_ truthfully be described as a matriarchal society.”

Esilaro let out a short laugh accompanied by a raspy cough.  “Damn, that _hurts_.”  Catching his breath, he observed, “Except for the males, it sounds not too unlike the asari.”

Bailey grinned…at least the explosion hadn’t dampened Esilaro’s sense of humor.  “Yeah, I suppose it does.  Asari are a whole lot easier on the eyes, though.”

“You any closer to finding the bastard that set off that explosion, sir?”

“Haven’t turned up any new leads – nothing useful since that last attempt on Miranda Lawson and Commander Yuán outside the _Hong Kong_.”  Bailey stroked his chin as he paced beside Esilaro’s bed.  “Perhaps arresting the leader of that little group of thugs made some difference.  All of ‘em are in military custody; I need to talk to Cody or Yuán – see if I can get in to see the one they claim tried to take the two women out with a sniper rifle.  That guy is tied to all this somehow, and I need to know what those ties are.  I think Lawson is key to all of this.”

“Alliance military still running security on the main floor?”

“As of 0700 hours two days ago, no.  Alliance reps and I finally finished vetting all the turians working for C-Sec.  Had to arrest a few… some others saved us the trouble, used their handguns to end their own lives.”  Bailey sighed.  “I would _never_ have believed there were so many members of the Blue Suns working within C-Sec, and not just turians, Sergeant!  There were humans and a few salarians in the mix.  But C-Sec is once again in charge of security for the entire station.  All I need to do now is start recruiting more turians to replace those that chose to work for the other side.  I’ve even begun recruiting right out of the turian military.”

Esilaro looked thoughtful for a few moments before asking, “Others in our squads, Commander?  How are they doing?”

“I promoted D’thula to Sergeant; made a Corporal out of Vaelyri.  Excellent C-Sec officers, both of them.”  Bailey shook his head.  “Never seen anyone as precise with a long gun as Vaelyri… real magician when it comes to long range take-downs.  Only other person I’ve ever seen _that_ good is a former C-Sec operative, big turian; joined Commander Shepard to hunt down the council’s rogue Spectre back in ‘83.

Esilaro voiced his uncertainty about returning to work at his current rank, to which Bailey replied, “You don’t need to worry about that, Esilaro.  I lost a lot of people I thought loyal to C-Sec… loyal to me.  That they were lying to my face and I didn’t see it?  I should probably fire myself for being so trusting.  Anyway, we have a lot of rebuilding to do, lots of new people to whip into shape.”  Bailey shook his head.  “You’re leadership skills will most certainly be needed, trust me.”  Bailey stood to leave and said, “Oh, by the way… I’m promoting you as well.  Hurry up and get healed, _Master_ Sergeant Esilaro.  I really need you back at work.” 

* * *

*** INSIDE THE ANCIENT REPOSITORY HARBINGER ***

Steve Cortez, Samantha Traynor and Tali’Zorah vas Normandy were making ready to vacate their wrecked shuttlecraft when an incoming message interrupted their efforts.

 _“Normandy Shuttle, this is Lieutenant Sherri Morse from the Orizaba._   _We’re entering the Reaper’s structure to evacuate you.  Stand by.”_

Cortez grinned as he touched the link in his ear and replied, “Acknowledged, Morse.  Understand you’re bringing a shuttle inside.  Be aware our atmospheric bubble extends only a few meters around and above this wrecked bird, so you’ll have to set down close by to pick us up.” 

_“Will do.  Morse, out.”_

Cortez cut his mic as he looked at Tali and Samantha.  “Come on.  Let’s get out of here.”

Cortez helped Tali and Traynor gather their gear and set it by the hatch; he opened the upper hatch and climbed out, then stuck his hands back in.  “Hand me your stuff, guys.”  Taking Tali’s and Traynor’s equipment from each of them, he set it all down by the nose of the wrecked shuttle and waited for his shipmates to join him as the distinctive sound of a UT-47 pierced the boundary of the environmental bubble surrounding them.

He watched as the Orizaba’s shuttle spiraled in and settled down seven meters in front of him.  The pilot idled the inertial dampeners and ME generator as she opened the hatches on both sides and waited for the three Normandy crew members to get on board.

Cortez and Samantha tossed all their gear inside, then boarded as Tali entered from the other side; they took seats across the back row and strapped in as Lieutenant Morse repowered dampeners and ME generator, then eased the UT-47 up on its ventral thrusters.  She held the hover for several seconds while stabilizing the mass reduction field before pivoting and firing the fore and aft thrusters, launching the shuttle back towards the top of Harbinger’s massive storage chamber.  As they climbed, the UT-47R from the Orizaba passed them on its way down to retrieve the _Normandy’s_ wrecked shuttle. 

* * *

Lieutenant Morse brought the evac shuttle in to the lower level of the Alliance docks, setting it gently down beside the _Hong Kong II_.  As she opened the hatches on both sides of the craft, Cortex unbuckled and moved around the right side of the forward bulkhead.  He quickly sat in the copilot’s seat, taking Morse totally by surprise; her protest died in her throat as Cortez held his hands up in front of him.  “A few more minutes of your time, Lieutenant?”

Morse eyed Cortez warily as she nodded okay.

Cortez grinned at her.  “Name’s Cortez… _Lieutenant_ … Steve Cortez, SSV _Normandy_.  It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant Morse.”  Cortez stuck his hand out, which she took after a short hesitation.  “How long you been a ‘brick’ driver, Morse?”

“About a year, I guess.  Don’t get out in this thing near as much as I’d like.  Spend a helluva lot of my on-duty time taking care of ship’s stores.”

Cortez replied, “Sounds just like my job on the _Normandy_.  _And_ , sounds like you’re bored with it.  Ever think of jumping ship… transferring off to something smaller?”

Morse gave Cortez a shy, half-smile.  “At times.  Never been so unhappy with the job that I’ve actively looked for a new assignment.  Why?  You know something I don’t?”

“I’m always looking for _my_ replacement, Lieutenant.”  Cortez rose from the co-pilot’s chair to leave, pausing at the edge of the bulkhead to look back at her.  “Think you’d like to work on a frigate?”

“You talking about _me_ moving to the _Normandy?_   That is _definitely_ something I’d think about it.”  Smiling, she increased the mass effect field and started to ease the shuttle up from the deck.  “Nice to meet you… Steve.  Do me a favor, huh?  Stay in touch?” 

“You bet.  Thanks for the lift, Lieutenant.”


	48. Reunion of Friends and Lovers

_And we were kissing like drowning people breathe – like suddenly we'd discovered something that has never been so sweet before that moment._ –  Morgan Matson, _Amy and Roger's Epic Detour_

* * *

*** SYSTEMS ALLIANCE AUTHORIZED RETAIL SHOPS · LOWER DOCK LEVEL ***

Xiùlán was quick-timing it back to the _Hong Kong_ when she had a thought.  Turning down a side passage, she jogged past a number of pedestrians, weaving her way in and out as she slowed to a fast walk.  She was about to make one more turn when a familiar voice called her name.  “Commander Yuán?  A moment?”

Xiùlán stopped and turned halfway, searching for the face to put with that voice; it only took her a few moments to spot her.  “Lieutenant Hall.  This is a surprise… what’s going on?”

Hall fell in beside her, as it appeared Xiùlán was returning to the ship.  “I have just spent the most boring, mind-numbing two-and-a-half hours of my military life, thanks to you, Commander.”

“Thanks to… ?”  Xiùlán was only puzzled for a moment before realization hit her.  “Oh, my!  The deposition at the JAG office.  I am so sorry I had to do that to you.  Bad, huh?”

“The word doesn’t _begin_ to do the experience justice, Commander.  I wouldn’t wish _that_ experience on anyone.  Here’s a friendly warning… run for your life, now!  Go into hiding!  Tell them there was a death in the family!  Hell, tell them _you_ just died as a result of a fight with Reaper spawn and you don’t know where you’re buried!  You do not want to go into that office, Commander.  Your brain will absolutely liquefy and drain out of your skull!”

“Come on, Wendy,” Xiùlán replied with a half-smile.  “Can’t be all _that_ bad.”

“Commander, there _must_ be a school where they send those people, teach ‘em how to suck all the joy out of your soul, like some spirit-slurping leech!  They’re not natural, I tell you.  I bet their eyes glow in the dark!”

Xiùlán laughed and stopped walking, placing a hand on Wendy’s shoulder in order to turn her around to face her.  “Wendy, you’re exaggerating.  And _your_ eyes glow in the dark… green, in case you hadn’t noticed.  So do mine.  Everybody’s eyes glow in the dark.  Natural by-product of Shepard’s choice of synthesis.”

Hall didn’t look convinced.  “Just… let me know what we should do with you once they suck you dry and discard your empty carcass, Commander.”

Xiùlán grinned at her.  “Head on back to the ship, Wendy.  I’ll be along shortly.  Have to make a quick stop.  And… I know it wasn’t fun.  Think about me and Vic – you just drove the _taxi_ there and back… we got to go in and crack some heads.  I seriously doubt either of us will be done talking to them in a paltry two-and-a-half hours.”

The Flight Lieutenant actually grinned as she backed away and replied, “Vic is already there… we went there together.  They took him in _before_ me, and were _still_ interviewing him when they released me!”  She turned and started walking, saying over her shoulder as she headed for the docks, “Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.  There’s still plenty of time if you want to run… ”

* * *

Dawn Sandstrom looked up at the sound of the main door opening and recognized a familiar face.  “Staff Commander Yuán… nice to see you again.  What can I do for you?”

“Just need to order up a couple more items.  I need a set of ‘dog tags’ for Miranda Lawson.”  Opening her omnitool, she entered the command to transfer Miranda’s vital specs to the store’s computer.  “I’d like to pick them up tomorrow morning, if that’d be possible.  I want to hang them around Miranda’s neck as soon as she endorses the contract Admiral Hackett will have for her… kinda like chaining her to the ship?”  she said with a snarky grin.  “I may need another couple sets of rank insignias as well… got some personnel changes coming up for the _Hong Kong_ and the _Normandy_ … transfers and promotions.”

“Do the promotions include you, Commander?”  Dawn asked with a twinkle in her eye.

Xiùlán held a hand up as she touched a finger to her comm-link and listened.  _“Thank you, Cross.  I’ll be right there.”_

Returning her attention to Sandstrom, she continued with a smile, “I’ll let you know tomorrow.  What about the dog tags?  Will they be ready?”

“Absolutely, Commander.  I’ll see you then.”

Xiùlán left the store and began trotting the short distance back to her ship.

* * *

*** SYSTEMS ALLIANCE DOCK C-7, BERTH 03 · LOWER LEVEL ***

Xiùlán trotted through the passageway from the shops to the Alliance docks, exiting the double-doors in time to observe a shuttle she presumed was from the _Orizaba_ lift off, turn and head down the port side towards the stern of the _Hong Kong_.  She saw three people standing there with their gear bags; a quarian, a human male, and… Samantha!  “Sammy!”  Breaking into a run, Xiùlán hollered her name at the top of her lungs, causing all three to turn to see the source.  Traynor’s face lit with a smile not seen in a very long time.

“Xiùlán!”  Traynor dropped her bags and ran towards her lover, slowing only enough as they came together to keep from crashing both of them to the concrete.  She lifted Xiùlán clear of the deck and spun her around in a circle before setting her back down and burying her face in her neck and shoulder, so happy she was crying; Xiùlán could only whisper, “Sēn měi [森美 - _Sammy_ ]…  Sēn měi…  Sēn měi!  I finally have you back.”

Sam pushed back slightly so she could look into the depths of Xiùlán’s eyes before applying her lips in a kiss that had been months in coming.  Finally releasing her in order to breathe, she cried, “My God, Xiùlán!  I have missed you so much!  I didn’t know if I would ever see you again!  When the Reapers attacked, I couldn’t leave the _Normandy_!  I had no news of you, your ship or the rest of the fleet.  It was awful!  And now I can hold you again!”

Sam finished with another kiss, so passionately applied Xiùlán felt the beginnings of arousal.  Breaking the kiss was more difficult than she would have imagined.  “Come on, Sammy.  Let’s… uumm… grab your gear, get you to base housing.  You’re officially on leave for thirty days.  We’ll have… ” she grinned suggestively, “… _lots_ of time to catch up.”

Sam released her and the pair walked back to Steve and Tali.  After making introductions all around, she grabbed her gear and headed for the _Normandy_ with Xiùlán walking beside her.  “What about you?  You’re probably still working, huh?”

“’Fraid so, Sammy.  Oh, and there’ll be a staff meeting tomorrow on the _Normandy_ …  Hackett will have some personnel and assignment changes for both ships.”

“Shit, Linn!  I still need to meet with Shepard, and it should be before any meeting with Hackett.  Oh, and you said I’d be staying in base housing?  Not on the ship, huh?”

“ _Normandy_ is technically dry-docked, so everyone’s off the ship until all the upgrades interrupted by the Reapers are finished.  You, my dear, will get the opportunity to finish up all your communications mods.”

“Wait… so, _I’m_ on leave for thirty, but they expect me to work on the _Normandy_ _’s_ comm systems at the same time?  Then what?  I get to go back… ”

Xiùlán held her hands up as she interrupted, “Sammy, please… take a deep breath!  You’re not expected to work while you’re on leave!  Where in hell did you get _that_ idea?!”

Traynor stopped walking, grabbed Xiùlán by the shoulder and spun her around to face her.  Leaning in close to her lover, she growled, “The Alliance hasn’t actually been the kind, supportive organization they make themselves out to be… for _either_ of us, Xiùlán!  I would not be surprised at _any_ shit assignment they handed me, _or_ you!”

“I’m sorry, Sammy.”  Xiùlán held her hands up palms outward, imploring Traynor to stop and think as her own thoughts raced back to the early morning.  _My god, this is just like the nightmare that woke me this morning!  What the hell?  None of my dreams have ever been premonitions!  _“I know you think the Alliance doesn’t care about us as people, but Sammy, _please_.  Have a bit of patience…  with me?…  with… ” she raised her hands as she looked nervously around the docks, “…  the Navy?”

A wave of regret mixed with embarrassment washed across Traynor’s face.  Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath to center herself as she placed both hands on her lover’s shoulders and drew her close.  “Xiùlán…  I am so sorry.  We’ve only just been reunited, been together five minutes after more than a year apart, and I’m ripping your head off when I should be ripping your uniform off!  Forgive me?  It’s been a tough week, and I really need a shower and change of clothes.”

Xiùlán grinned at her.  “Yeah, I…  uhmm…  noticed your…  ahh…  aura.  And there’s nothing to forgive, Sà mǐ.   I love you, and, well…  Xìngyùn nǚshén juàngùle wǒ liǎ!”  [幸運女神眷顧了我倆!  – _Lucky goddess favored us!_  (literally, _Luck has smiled on us both!)]_  Come on.  Let’s get all your stuff off the ship, take you to your apartment and get you settled in.  Oh, and speak with Shepard before you leave…  let her know when you’ll be back on the ship to meet with her.”

* * *

It was just after 1830, and Traynor was in a much better frame of mind as she reentered _Normandy_ through the port side airlock and walked to the conference room, speaking briefly with Sarah Campbell and Bethany Westmoreland as she passed through the security screen.  Entering the conference room, she closed and locked the door and took a seat at the rearward end of the table.  “Commander Shepard?”

The virtual representation of Shepard’s form coalesced at the end of the table closest to the security station.  “Good evening, Specialist.  I owe you a drink, if I recall; name your poison – I’ll have Bethany slip down to the crew lounge and bring some up.”

“I’ve always been partial to whiskey with a splash of lime juice, Ma’am.”

Shepard performed one of her favorite moves – she dissolved her image in the conference room while simultaneously coalescing in the passageway outside of Westmoreland’s security station.  She relayed Sam’s request; Traynor almost felt Shepard was simply walking through the transparent wall when she performed the dual transition again, reappearing at the head of the table.

“I have your report in the server, but I’d love to hear the story from you, personally.  But first, how is it _I_ never knew of your proficiency as a warrior, Sam?  There were _many_ times where I could have used you to great advantage on ground missions.”

Samantha chuckled.  “If you’re referring to my skills with a liǔyè dāo, Commander, I never really learned to parry gunfire when the bullet is traveling at some fraction of light speed.”  Traynor’s faint smile faded as she thought back over the past ten days.  “I was even too slow to prevent Javik from initiating his destruct sequence.”  Sighing, she added, “I still have to go back inside Žiuk’Durmah to help with the removal of the miserable bastard’s carcass.”  Her eyes focused off in the distance for several seconds before she continued with yet another sigh.  “As to my skills, Admiral Hackett has my unredacted file…  I’m sure he’d be happy to read you in as to my early service history.”

She looked up as Bethany appeared outside the door with a tray.  Shepard remotely unlocked and opened the sliding door.  “Private?  Come on in.”

Bethany entered, set the tray down in front of Sam and remarked, “Made two of ‘em for you, Specialist, just in case you can figure out a way for the commander to join you?”  Before leaving the compartment, she turned and smiled as she snapped a salute to Shepard.  After Westmoreland left to return to her post, the commander reclosed and locked the door.

“Okay, Specialist, explain to me how no one else on this ship, not even me, realized what a lying, self-serving sack of excrement Javik was.”

“I called Javik out for his imperialistic ways in this very room, Commander, when Major Alenko and EDI called us all together to tell us you were alive in _Normandy’_ s server.  I told Javik it was a good thing for all of us that he was the last of his kind; Alenko wasn’t interested in my opinion… I felt _you_ should have tossed his bloody ass out the airlock as soon as he was brought on board.”  Traynor took a swig from her glass and swallowed it with relish before the burn set in, causing her to rapidly suck air in through her teeth in an attempt to cool the fire blazing in her throat.  “Damn,” she gasped.  “That’s some really good shit, Commander!”  Wiping away tears, she added, “I _really_ wish you were able to join me!”

“No more than I do, Specialist; I’m glad you can enjoy it for me, but I forget to mention that it’s _sipping_ whiskey.  I wouldn’t gulp it like you just did.  Now, please continue.”

“Well, Alenko didn’t seem too concerned about ‘im until Javik said he didn’t understand the value _you_ placed on the continued existence of synthetics.  We had been talking about the geth and EDI, but it ultimately concerned the Reapers as well.”  Traynor cupped the glass in both hands and took a small sip, savoring the flavor this time before swallowing and continuing.  “The major threatened to maroon the miserable roach – told ‘im _he_ could be the vanguard of the _new_ Prothean empire, after ‘e told all of us he’d ‘ave destroyed the synthetics without a second thought… .”

Shepard nodded as she asked, “What do you think the results would have been if we _had_ simply marooned him on that planet, Specialist?”

Traynor leaned back in her chair, crossed her legs and sighed.  “Honestly, ‘e’d probably be just as dead by now.”  She absent-mindedly swirled the liquor in her glass as she stared at the far bulkhead for several moments.  “Hindsight is a funny thing, Ma’am.  The crew would have been a damn sight better off if we’d have never brought him on board… certainly could ‘ave done without all the trouble ‘e caused.  He might have starved to death, or been struck down by some disease that had 50,000 years to evolve past any immunities he may ‘ave ‘ad.  Another Reaper, looking for survivors the way Žiuk’Durmah ‘ad been looking for us, might have rescued ‘im… although… I doubt he’d have gone willingly.”

Traynor tossed down the rest of her drink and made a face as she set the glass down on the tray.  “Honestly, my way was a hellova lot quicker, Commander.  After his unrepentant attempt on my life… his attempt to destroy Žiuk’Durmah, I’d say justice has been well-served by me separating his ‘ead from the rest of ‘im.”

Shepard ‘walked’ over to stand next to Traynor.  “Kick that chair out for me, Specialist.”

Traynor looked at her quizzically before shoving the chair out and turning it to face her.  Shepard surprised her by sitting on the chair, just as if she were flesh and blood.  “Easier to chat when we’re face-to-face, Specialist, don’t you think?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”  Grabbing the second filled glass on the tray, Sam tilted the rim in Shepard’s direction before taking a sip and smiling.  “You do realize you’re not _actually_ sitting in that chair, right?  I mean… well, perhaps… if your image wasn’t so transparent and pixilated?”  Noting Shepard’s pained expression, she looked down briefly as she explained, “Sorry, Ma’am.  It just kinda feels like I’m looking at an ‘Avina’ image that’s wearing your face and uniform.”

Looking wistfully at Sam’s drink, she said, “I wish I could have just _one_ drink, damn it!”  before leaning forward in her chair and asking, “What about your rescue of Žiuk’Durmah?  You really went above and beyond for a former enemy, you know.”

“Not at all, Ma’am.  He brought _us_ back – he brought the _Normandy_ back home!”  She set the glass down and leaned back once again.  “And really, it was totally my fault Javik was riding around inside him, plotting the restoration of the Prothean’s former glory, or some such bullshit.  None of this would have happened if he’d been locked in the cargo area you set up to incarcerate me after… well, my attack on EDI and Liara.”

Shepard’s image appeared to be looking at Traynor, but did not move or ‘speak’ for nearly half a minute, long enough that Traynor started to fidget.  When she _did_ speak, what she said was such a surprise Traynor nearly fell out of her chair.

“I owe you an apology, Samantha… I was wrong about Javik.  Perhaps I was too close to Liara to see him for what he was, but _damn_ it, I have always tried to give people the benefit of the doubt, and… I completely let _you_ down… took _his_ side, hell, took Liara’s side, without considering an opposing viewpoint, and for _that_ I am profoundly sorry.”

She rose from the chair, paced the length of the room once and returned to the chair.  “It really pissed me off when you hit Liara, Sam.  Despite my current circumstances, I still ‘feel’ things.  Even knowing how stubborn Liara is, it made me angry; still, she _did_ forgive you.  My question for you is, can you forgive _me_ for my reaction?”

Traynor took a sip from her glass before answering.  “Nothing to forgive, Commander.  It all worked out, none of us died, and I don’t believe any of us hate each other; but thank you, for thinking you _needed_ to ask for my forgiveness.  Proves to me you’re still really ‘ _you’_ , even buried in all that damned circuitry inside the server.”

Taking yet another swig from her glass, she asked, “You said I reminded you of a young Navy lieutenant you once knew – hated batarians?  Now we’re alone, care to share?”

“Person I was talking about was _me_ , Traynor.  Actually began before I joined, when I was a colony kid on Mindoir.  What I’m about to tell you, I’ve never shared with anyone…  not Admiral Anderson, not Hackett, not even Alenko.  They’re all aware of what happened, just not the details.”  She paused, her ‘expression’ becoming pensive, as if what she was going to share had been burdening her for a very long time.  “What they don’t know, what no one knows, are the details of my first encounter with batarians.”

“Colony not unlike yours was on Horizon… preyed on by pirates.  Pirates almost always were batarian.  I have a difficult time remembering the good times before that day, but I remember _that_ day with crystal clarity.  I think I always knew the galaxy was full of evil people, but it really hit home for me that day in 2170...  I was only sixteen years old.  No warning… bastards were just… there!  I managed to escape from the house undetected… grabbed a handgun and some clips… hid in the undergrowth… ”

* * *

Half an hour later, Traynor sat and stared teary-eyed at Shepard’s image in front of her.  The tale she’d told of her parents’ brutal murders and her own untrained first use of biotics, even _without_ an implanted amp, had been difficult to listen to, not that Sam disbelieved her – Rachaél Shepard’s description of the batarian’s brutality, especially towards Hannah Shepard, fit right in with her own early experiences with them.  The commander’s brief recounting of her early history had been every bit as gut wrenching as had Sam’s telling Shepard of her own parents’ disappearance during the Collector attack on Horizon.

Traynor was beginning to think it was time for her to go when movement caught her eye – EDI was coming towards them through the security checkpoint, followed by Miranda Lawson, Tali’Zorah and Yuán Xiùlán.  As Traynor stood to greet them, the door unlatched and silently slid open to admit the four of them, one of which was bearing a tray with a filled decanter and several glasses.  EDI was the first to speak: “Specialist Traynor.  The commander summoned us while you were talking with her, and suggested a bit of Serrice Ice Brandy would be an appropriate way to toast our reunion with the Alliance and each other.”  She set the serving tray on the table and decanted five glasses as Xiùlán introduced Traynor to Miranda.

Miranda was nearly speechless at Shepard’s appearance; having been told of it and seeing the reality of it were not the same.  Shepard was just as amazed at Miranda’s new look – the shorter, lightened hair, the scaring on her face and the weight-loss, along with the eye-patch, all made her look very different from the voluptuous Cerberus operative with which Shepard had worked to take down the Collectors.  She even mocked her own appearance, turning her backside towards Shepard and asking, “Think Jack would still call me a bubble-butt?”  to which Shepard had laughed.

Tali was briefly able to get reacquainted with Miranda as Xiùlán passed a drink to each of them before turning towards Shepard’s image and hoisting her glass high.

“Ladies?  Oh, and that does include you, Commander, even though you cannot hold a glass.”  She grinned as she tipped the rim of her glass towards the woman’s image; the action being followed by the other four.  “To Commander Rachaél Anne Shepard: You sacrificed everything to save the galaxy.  Your choice of synthesis made it possible for synthetics… ” here she looked at EDI, “… to gain an organic perspective.  It enabled organics to gain from the Reapers, even enabling… ,” tipping her glass towards Miranda, “… severe physical injuries to heal faster, and incompatible biology’s… , here she looked at Tali, “… to not get as sick on foreign food and air.  I’m sure I speak, if not for the survivors of the recent galactic invasion and war, for all of us gathered here together this evening, when I say ‘Thank you’, Commander.”

Miranda had tears running down her cheek as she added, “Thanks aren’t enough by a long shot, but it’ll have to do for now.  Thank you, Shepard.”

Tali, much to Miranda’s surprise, removed her faceplate so everyone could hear her unaugmented voice, “Thank you for giving us back our world, Shepard.  Thank you for saving my people, for saving the geth, and… ” her voice was hitching as she struggled to finish, “… most importantly… umm… thank you… for… for my life.  I can _never_ repay you for… the sacrifices you made on my behalf… on behalf… of the quarian people.”

EDI simply said, “Your actions have enabled me to realize exactly how complicated organic life is, Shepard.  You have my sincere thanks for everything you’ve done.”

They surrounded Shepard’s projection and reached towards an imaginary center point, bringing the rims of their glasses together within Shepard’s projection to toast the woman responsible for the peace they now enjoyed.  After downing their drinks, EDI refilled their glasses and they each took turns elaborating on their feelings about having synthetic nanites circulating within their bodies; for EDI, the conversation centered on her new-found appreciation of being a synthetic/organic hybrid.

It was close to 2230 when Traynor made a covert motion to Xiùlán, who stood and looked at her friends and companions.  “Time for us to get some rack time.  Lots of stuff going on tomorrow.  Commander?”  Standing ramrod straight, she saluted the image of Rachaél Shepard.  “It’s been really nice, being able to spend some time just… talking with you.  Thank you.”

After Shepard returned the salute, she looked at Traynor and said, “Here’s a _welcome home_ present for you and Yuán.”  Sam’s omnitool came to life, as did Xiùlán’s.  “Security code for my personal apartment for both of you; location on the strip for your information, Commander.  You’re both welcome to spend the night.  See you tomorrow – 1300.  And you have _my_ thanks for your company.  Nice to know I haven’t been forgotten.”   

The pair said goodnight to Sarah (Bethany having gone off-duty) as they strolled through the security passageway, slowly made their way past the CIC into the tactical passageway, then out the airlock to the dock.  Traynor called for a taxi to take them to Shepard’s apartment.  It had been a long day; her fear was tomorrow would be every bit as long.

* * *

Xiùlán untangled her legs from Samantha’s and sat up on the bed.  A warm hand snaked up her back, sliding across the green and gold dragon tattooed across her left shoulder blade before coming to rest atop her shoulder.  “That was exquisite, Linn.  I had nearly forgotten how special you make me feel when we’re together.”

Xiùlán turned her head to the left and kissed each knuckle on the brown hand.  “No more special than how you make me feel, Sà mǐ.  It’s almost impossible to believe we’re finally together after so much time apart… like a dream, really.” 

She slowly stood, enjoying the feel of that same hand sliding back down her back and center of her butt.  She walked to the bathroom; after relieving her bladder, she used a dampened cloth to wash the sweat from her face and upper torso.  Walking back into the bedroom, she paused to take in the sight of Sammy’s body.

Traynor returned her visual inspection.  “Shit, Linn.  When you going to finish getting the skin grafts on your leg?  I saw the scars on your ass, but you have a lot of really beautiful unblemished skin left back there.”

“Like there’s been any spare time, Sammy?”  Xiùlán chuckled in that way that sent chills down Traynor’s spine.  “You do remember the conflict we just got done with – the Reaper war?”  Rubbing a hand down her leg, she added, “I just may leave it as it is, Love.  Doesn’t really look _that_ bad, and I am truly tired of spending my time in hospitals.”  She brought her hand up to her hip, shifted her weight to that side and partially twisted her upper torso while pulling her shoulders up and back, posing like a model in a vid.  “This body still turns you on anyway, doesn’t it Sammy?”

“Geez, Xiùlán!  You really have to ask _me_ that?  Of course it does.  Speaking of which… ” she rubbed the palm of her hand provocatively down her own torso, stopping on top of her pubic mound, fingers covering her labia.  “… you may want to come back over here, just to see _how_ turned on I might be.”  Sliding her hand dreamily back up, she skated it languorously across each breast before lifting her hand and crooking a finger at her lover.

Xiùlán huffed as she looked at the ceiling; giving in to the temptress her lover had become, she eased herself down into the bed and wrapped Sammy up in a nearly bone-crushing hug.  When she relaxed her arms, Sam actually _did_ demonstrate her own degree of arousal, resulting in Xiùlán’s giggling appreciation of her lover’s ability to turn _her_ on!  “Wǒ ài nǐ sà, màn shā·tè léi nà.”  [我愛你薩曼莎•特雷納 - _I love you, Samantha Traynor]_  


	49. Javik's Corpse Recovered

_How talented was death.  How many expressions and manipulations of hand, face, body, no two alike.  –_  Ray Bradbury _, The October Country_

* * *

 **Notes** : _Conversations wholly in italics with double quotes ( “/”  ) represent communications between suit radios._

* * *

 ** _Liǔyè_** _ **dāo**_ – literally, _willow leaf_ saber (柳葉軍刀); short sword with a continuously curved blade, with the hilt having a reverse curve; some of these swords feature a sharpened back edge from the tip back about a third of the 96.5 centimeter length.

* * *

*** SHEPARD’S APARTMENT · TIBERIUS TOWERS, SILVERSUN STRIP ***

Traynor slowly became conscious of her surroundings.  She could discern no light through her closed eyelids, so it must still be dark.  She became aware of the person in bed with her, snuggled up tight to her back, muscular arm draped around her torso, hand lovingly cupping her left breast.  Xiùlán was sound asleep, her relaxed, gentle breathing rhythmically disturbing the sleep-tousled brown hair behind Sam’s right ear.

Reaching her hand leisurely behind herself, she found and gently stroked the bare skin on Xiùlán's hip and upper portion of her leg.  _I must be dreaming!_ Traynor slowly slid her eyelids open and looked around without moving her head.  From what little she could see, it appeared she was in an elegantly furnished room.  She eased her head up just enough to see the chrono on the table beside their bed – 0605.

Groaning inwardly, she suddenly remembered the previous evening’s visit on the _Normandy_ – she had spent the first part of the evening talking and drinking with Commander Shepard in the conference room…  well, the commander wasn’t able to imbibe, so Traynor had treated herself to a glass of good whisky in Shepard’s name.

After Shepard told of her violent introduction to batarian pirates, they had been joined by EDI, Miranda Lawson (probably in her last evening as a civilian), Tali’Zorah vas Normandy, and Xiùlán for an evening of companionship – talking and reminiscing, toasting everyone’s health with Serrice Ice Brandy, and just generally having a nice visit with the ‘savior of the galaxy’ – a description Shepard did not care for, as it seemed to somehow diminish the contributions and sacrifices made by everyone else during the war.

Traynor decided she needed to get up, take a shower and get dressed, get some breakfast (or at least some hot tea), and head down to the dreadnaught docks to see Žiuk’Durmah.  _Hope there’s enough shore power to let me check_ _his ‘vitals’ while I’m inside ‘im._ Moving slowly, she gently grabbed the hand cupping her breast, brought it up to her face and applied her lips to the middle of Xiùlán's palm in a passionate kiss.

The relaxed breathing changed slightly as Sam laid Xiùlán's arm alongside her body before rolling over to face her lover.  She realized her mistake as soon as Xiùlán brought her leg up, teasing her crotch with the top of her scarred thigh.  “Where you going, Sà mǐ?” [薩米 – _Sami]_  A pair of lips brushed the tip of Sam’s nose, continuing, “It’s not time to get up yet, is it?”

“Dammit, Linn, that’s not fair,” Sam whispered between clenched teeth.  “I can…  mmfff…   hardly think straight with…  aahhh…  you lying in bed with me.”  The hand she’d just kissed snaked back up between them, eliciting a sharp intake of breath from Sam as it latched onto a breast and teased her nipple to full attention.  “Not…  _faahhirrr_ , Xiùlán!  Damn!”   

Traynor capitulated, realizing her mind was no longer hers to command as Xiùlán's thigh, hand, and now her mouth (with those luscious lips), took over direction of her body, playing Traynor like a fine violoncello.  ‘ _God, how does she do that?’ came the thought._

As her hands played elsewhere, Xiùlán began planting little kisses on Sam’s ears, cheeks, nose, eyelids and forehead, causing involuntary shudders to roll through Sam’s body as the sensations from those kisses and the proximity of their nude bodies made her glad she hadn't pulled on her panties; she’d simply have had more laundry to do.  Sammy could feel her vagina’s moist reaction to the indirect stimulation…  a response that promptly dampened her inner thighs; she quickly reciprocated by raising one of her own legs, planting the top of a thigh firmly in Xiùlán's crotch and keeping her from retreating with an urgent hold on her hips.

Sam’s body rippled at Xiùlán’s loving caresses; the surface of her skin had become super-sensitive, sending blistering blasts of pleasure to her mind as her core heated to a molten intensity.  Xiùlán didn’t relent as Sam began moaning in time to the pulsations her over-stimulated vulva was driving through her body; she stiffened and squealed as she climaxed, waves of ecstasy crashing over her in a tsunami of pleasurable currents, receding slowly like an ocean tide.

At the same time Sam was falling into her abyss, the throbbing contractions of Xiùlán's entire core pushed her over her _own_ precipice, causing her to cry out with each breath as her entire body shuddered through multiple waves of orgasmic pleasure before finally collapsing next to Sam.

Xiùlán’s face swam back into focus as Traynor recovered enough of her senses to realize how deftly she had just been played.  “Dammit, Linn!”  Traynor groaned, really needing a drink of water.  “You’ve been saving _that_ one up, ‘aven’t you?”

“Don’t have… a clue… what you’re talking… about, Sammy,” Xiùlán panted.  “I was… only kissing you.  Did I do something wrong?”

The innocent expression Xiùlán had painted on her face made Traynor grin as she kissed those luscious lips yet again.  “Can’t believe what I have with you, darling.  It's like having all my dreams come true, all at once!  I love you so much, Yuán Xiùlán!” 

Xiùlán gently returned Sam’s kiss.  “My love for you is infinite, Samantha Traynor; I wanted you to realize the depth of that love.  I’m glad you’ve finally come home to me.” 

* * *

Traynor had forgotten just how huge this apartment was; the shower was large enough for her and Xiùlán, with plenty of room to wash and rinse without elbowing each other.  Each of them had forgotten what a luxury it was to have their backs scrubbed by another; upon facing each other under the warm, fine-mist spray, Traynor had impulsively hugged her lover, delighting in the feel of full-body contact with Yuán’s wet skin.

Xiùlán kissed her before releasing her so she could exit the water spray to towel off and start getting dressed.  She was bent over, brushing her luxurious mane of ebony hair when Traynor joined her.  “You _ever_ gonna get that shortened to a regulation cut, Luv?”

“I’ve been in almost thirteen years, Sammy…  never been an issue.”  She flipped her hair back over her head as she stood, pulling the length around her neck to continue brushing from the front.  “Remember our first mission together?   Remember what happened to the batarian asshole that cut this off?”

“Only too well!  I also remember how cute you looked with a short, layered messy cut.”  The sight of her chiseled body, hair partially covering her nudity, was almost more than Samantha could tolerate.  “Dammit, Xiùlán, if you don’t stop teasing me like that, I’m gonna jump _your_ ass this time, right here and now.”

Xiùlán grabbed her hair with both hands; using it to cover her breasts, she asked, “Better?”

Traynor responded by throwing her wet sponge at her lover and running away laughing, with Xiùlán in close pursuit. 

* * *

*** DREADNAUGHT DOCKING AREA, ALLIANCE SECURE DOCKS · CITADEL ***

Traynor hugged Tali’Zorah on the dreadnaught dock beside the enormous tentacles of Žiuk’Durmah; Tali and Xiùlán had agreed to accompany her aboard the dormant Repository in an effort to recover the remains of Javik.  His body had been left in the compartment where Traynor had severed his head in an attempt to prevent the last Prothean from completing the sabotage of the massive eezo core that powered everything in the gigantic organic/mechanical hybrid.

“Glad you’re coming with me, Tali.  I’m hoping we can activate a terminal inside, see if we can at least determine how ‘alive’ Žiuk’Durmah actually is.”

“How are we going to do this, Specialist?” Tali’s concern showed in the tone of her voice.  “Gravity inside will be minimal, along with atmosphere and heat.”

“We’ll be buttoned up…  full EVA equipment.  It shouldn’t take us long.  Best guess is we’ll find he’s been freeze-dried by the extreme cold and near vacuum inside – it’s why we’re taking a stasis pod along.”

“How are we going to enter…  that,” Xiùlán asked nervously while waving a hand at the seemingly endless expanse of dull obsidian metal nearby.

Sam activated her omnitool.  “Lieutenant Cortez is bringing a utility air car…  that’s how we’re going to get the stasis pod in and out.”

“Is the main entry hatch still open?”

“Don’t know.  Doesn’t have to be open very much – just enough for us to enter with an air car sized vehicle.”  Traynor sent a text to Cortez and one to Asharru.  She left the tool’s interface open for a few moments; a chiming tone indicated an incoming reply, which she read.  Closing the tool, she told her friends, “Cortez is a minute or so out.”

Tali had been watching the ancient machine’s arms; she started and quickly pointed, saying, “Traynor, look!  The arms…  they’re moving!” 

Sam looked in the direction indicated by Tali’s gesture and responded, “My other message was to Asharru.  He contacted the station’s keepers…  or rather, those keepers responsible for maintaining the power keeping Žiuk’Durmah’s cognitive functions alive.  They’re opening the main entry enough for us to get in and out with a small vehicle.”

As she finished her explanation, the utility vehicle arrived, setting down gently on the metal deck ten meters from where they were standing.  Cortez called them on their suit communicators; knowing Xiùlán and Samantha were not wearing their helmets, he spoke loud enough to be heard over the idling generators, “ _Let’s go, Traynor.”_

“We probably _should_ get going, Sam,” Xiùlán said as she started walking towards the vehicle.  “I’m curious to see the results of an _intentional_ use of a Liǔyè dāo.”

Tali and Sam fell into step with her and entered the vehicle, a version of a standard aircar with an open cargo area behind the passenger compartment.  The engine housing was below a flat platform surrounded on sides and rear by a wide-mesh cargo guard; a modified stasis pod was the only cargo latched to the platform.

Traynor was surprised when she entered the passenger compartment – Steve Cortez was sitting in the copilot’s seat.  Their driver was the woman that had piloted them out of Harbinger yesterday morning, Lieutenant Sherri Morse from the _Orizaba_.

Xiùlán was the one who asked, “Cortez?   Thought _you_ were going to be our driver…”

Cortez quickly introduced Morse to Yuán.  “Always looking for fresh talent for the _Normandy_ , Commander.  Captain of the _Orizaba_ agreed to lend Lieutenant Morse to us for this little excursion.”  Cortez smiled at Morse as he added, “I wanted to see a bit of her piloting skills for myself.”

“Okay, Lieutenant.”  Xiùlán shifted her attention.  “Traynor, you have the lead on this little excursion.  I’m just along for the ride.”

Traynor grinned at her lover.  Replying, “Acknowledged, Commander,” she turned her attention to Morse and added, “Lieutenant, if you wouldn’t mind, let’s go visit the insides of a Repository.”

Morse responded with a quizzical look; Cortez quickly explained, “Reaper, Lieutenant.  They all refer to themselves as Repositories now.  Old program code was rewritten with the choice Commander Shepard made when she activated the Crucible.”

“Repositories, of what, exactly?” A skeptical Morse lifted their vehicle clear of the deck and turned to fly past the tips of Žiuk’Durmah’s arms.

Traynor picked up the narrative.  “Every machine still in existence at the end of the war was, and is…  a library…  an archive, of a destroyed civilization.  They’re windows into the past, 50,000 years at a time.”  Traynor activated her omnitool, entering several commands; closing her tool as the one on Morse’s wrist activated, she explained, “I just sent you everything known about them, including why they were created, starting with Harbinger.”

Morse expertly turned and circled past the tips of the enormous tentacles, aiming for the immense opening at their apex.  “You speak of them with, I don’t know, almost a reverence, Traynor; after all the death and destruction they caused…?”

“… death and destruction orchestrated by a race of beings that look remarkably like the machines constructed to emulate them,” Traynor finished for her.  “I have a great deal of respect for Reapers as intelligent beings.  The raison d’être for their creation is so much more sinister than most people realize.”  Traynor looked at Tali and Xiùlán before continuing with, “Respectfully, please read what I sent to your omnitool, Lieutenant.  It’ll enable you to better understand them.  You don’t have to like them, but they _are_ here to stay, for the foreseeable future anyway.”

Morse nodded as she said, “Coming up on the entrance.”  All business now, she added, “Brace yourselves for transition through the barrier.”

The vehicle shuddered slightly as it passed through Žiuk'Durmah's kinetic barrier; as the area inside was environmentally close to the void of space – a near vacuum with a temperature of 2.6° Kelvin, and nearly pitch black, Morse had to quickly bring the eezo core to nearly full power.  Sherri pointed to the nav display in front of her flight controls.  “That what we’re after?”

“Looks like it,” Cortez responded.  “Keep it slow – there was a pretty large set of space docks in here.  Wouldn’t do for us to collide with ‘em.

“Roger that.”

At their reduced speed it took almost two minutes to traverse the vast area; their high-intensity lights finally illuminating the rear, bowl shaped wall of the chamber.  Morse maneuvered the aircar to the point indicated by her nav display… the entry to Žiuk’Durmah’s habitation area was just outside.  “Entrance is too small to get this aircar inside, Morse,” Cortez said.  Bring us up beside the opening so we can step straight in.”

As Morse piloted the vehicle to the entrance, she enabled an atmospheric mass effect field around the aircar, allowing the hatches to be opened without depressurization.  Tali was already suited for low-atmo, so only the humans needed to put their helmets on and activate their suits for self-contained operations; they each gave a thumbs-up once their suits completed the required pressure checks and all the status lights turned green.

When the passenger compartment was a bit less than a third of a meter from the opening, Cortez opened the hatches on the right side of the craft and said, “Okay, ladies.  Time to go.”

Traynor lead the way after setting her own kinetic shield to maximum, stepping into the opening and quickly standing aside for Tali and Xiùlán.  As soon as they were clear, Cortez stepped up on the cargo platform behind the passenger compartment while Morse repositioned the aircar, planting the flat rear of the vehicle against the metal just below the entrance, where Xiùlán and Traynor were standing on either side.

Cortez removed the rear-mounted barrier from the cargo platform; activating the mass-reduction generator on the stasis pod, he lifted it clear of the platform and shoved it into the entrance for Xiùlán and Traynor to grab.

 _“Okay, Lieutenant…  you and Morse standby, please,”_ Traynor said.  _“We’ll be as quick as we can.”_ The pair set the pod down as close to the inner entrance as possible.

 _“How we getting past this hatch, Sam?”_ Xiùlán quietly asked.

Traynor activated her omnitool.  _“Keepers responsible for maintaining_ _Žiuk’Durmah’s power are monitoring our progress.  Just have to send a signal…”_ so saying, she entered a command on her omnitool, _“… and there we go…”_

As the door to the inner compartment slowly irised open, dim lights came on inside and in the reception compartment where they were standing.  The trio slowly entered the next compartment, causing Traynor to remark, _“This is where I decked EDI and Liara.”_

Walking to the opposite side, she activated her omnitool once more and was rewarded with _that_ hatch irising open to admit them.  They entered and were immediately arrested by the sight of the headless body lying on the floor in a frozen puddle of his own blood.

 _“Hello, Javik…”_  Traynor said in a mocking tone, repeating her greeting to the Prothean from just before she’d been forced to sever his head.  _“… didja miss me?”_

Xiùlán cast her lights around the floor.  She announced, _“Here’s his head, Sammy.  He looks plenty surprised!”_ Xiùlán crouched and carefully picked it up.  _“I hope Cortez put some bags in that pod.”_ She inspected the Prothean’s head, rotating it this way and that.  _“You do all this?”_ she asked as she showed Javik’s battered face to Traynor.

 _“He actually thought I didn’t have any weapons, until I reminded ‘im about the ones on the ends of my arms,”_ Sammy replied.  _“He thought I should be flogged.  Funny…”_

_“What’s that?”_

_“Joker… Lieutenant Moreau… thought the exact same thing right after I hit EDI and Liara, although he felt James should be the one wielding the cat-o-nine-tails.  He wanted to watch.”_ Traynor shook her head sadly at the memory.  _“EDI put a stop to that thought before I had a chance to flog ‘im!”  _

Traynor and Tali were attempting to shift Javik’s frozen body.  _“He’s stuck to the deck in ‘is own frozen blood, Tali.  Hey, Commander.”_ Traynor looked at Xiùlán.  _“Mind handing that ‘ead to Tali and lending an arm ‘ere?  He’s really become a part of this Repository!”_

Tali took Javik’s head and went to place it in the stasis pod while Xiùlán added her upper body strength to Sam’s.  _“Okay, Sammy.  On three…”_

They succeeded in breaking him loose from the deck; they also brought up a patch of the frozen, green-tinged yellowish blood in which he’d been lying.

 _Xiùlán remarked, “Impressive technique, Sammy.”_ Taking a look at Javik’s neck revealed a clean, angular slice.  _“Looks like it was done by a damned machine,”_ Xiùlán said softly.  _“Let’s get him outta here.”_

Traynor looked at the exit and said, _“Tali!”_ The quarian returned from the outer chamber with a large, narrow bag.  _“Looks like Steve thought of everything, Specialist.”_

It took a bit of effort, but with the help of the low gravity, they were ultimately successful in fitting Javik’s body within the heavy plastic and vinyl bag.  Tali had already placed the head in a smaller bag of similar construction; they set both bags in the stasis pod, sealed the lid and activated the stasis generator.

Traynor looked at Xiùlán as soon as they had loaded the stasis pod.  _“I need a few more minutes, Commander.  I have to try to talk to ‘im, let ‘im know we’re going to repower ‘im.”_

_“Be quick, Specialist.  Place gives me the creeps…  I want to get out of here.”_

Traynor nodded as Tali rejoined her; they returned to the chamber where she had slain Javik.  Using her omnitool, Tali activated a terminal that may have once been used by the Prothean.  Traynor didn’t expect anything more than a text in return as she entered, ‘ _Žiuk’Durmah.  It’s Specialist Traynor and Admiral Tali’Zorah.  Please respond.’_  She waited for a quarter-minute without a response, so sent the text again.

She was almost afraid they wouldn’t get an answer when individual letters started streaming across the screen.  › _Traynor-Specialist.   Tali’Zorah-Admiral.  What may I do for you?_‹

She entered back, ‘ _Not much time.  Inquiry: are you still okay?  Are all of your processors functional?’_

› _I continue to live – to dream; my processes are all … slow.  It is… curious._‹

Traynor had to fight back the tears.  ‘ _What… is curious,_ _Žiuk’Durmah?’_

› _A human – a quarian – so … small…  so…  emotional – sending an inquiry about… me._‹

Traynor felt she needed to terminate the exchange… allow this Repository to return to his slumber.  ‘ _Žiuk’Durmah, know this: you are safe at the Citadel.  Your processes are being monitored by the Keepers.  Return to hibernation.  The next time we talk, I expect you will be fully powered.’_

› _Thank you, Traynor-Specialist … Tali’Zorah-Admiral.  Your presence  – your concern… is appreciated.  I will sleep… I will dream… I will…  abide._‹

Sam sniffed as Tali logged off the terminal; after taking one last look around, they rejoined their companions for the trip back to the docks.

* * *

Lieutenant Morse set the air car down between the _Hong Kong_ and the _Normandy_ ; after Traynor and Cortez double-checked the settings on the pod to ensure it was maintaining a stable stasis field to preserve Javik’s body, Cortez returned to the passenger compartment.  “We’ll take him to the Biological Research Center at Huerta Memorial like we discussed.  I expect the scientists there will be very interested in dissecting Mr Javik.”

Traynor looked at her chrono before replying, “Sounds like you’ll be cuttin’ things a bit close.  You gonna have time for a bite of lunch before the meeting starts at 1300?”

“We’ll be fine, Traynor.”  Morse brought the generators back online, lifting the utility car off the dock as Cortez finished, “See you back on the _Normandy_ ,” and closed the hatch.  Morse spun the vehicle’s nose back towards the dreadnaught docks and began moving, turning into the industrial area of the Alliance docks half-a-klick away.

Xiùlán said her good-byes to Tali, who turned and headed for the _Normandy_.  Turning her attention towards Traynor, she said, “I’ll see you later, Sà mǐ.  Ought to be an interesting afternoon.”

Traynor was all business now, having released a lot of tension with her lover during the past twelve hours.  Coming to attention, she saluted as she said, “Thanks for coming with me, Commander.  See you later.”

Yuán returned Traynor’s salute and replied, “Pleasure was all mine, Specialist.  Looking forward to our meeting on the _Normandy_.”

Traynor dropped her arm, turned and headed for the _Normandy’s_ hanger deck as Xiùlán started walking back to the _Hong Kong_ to change and grab some lunch.

* * *

Samantha had one more task to complete before she could have lunch.  Taking the lift up to deck two, she stepped off in the CIC, turned to starboard and entered the security passageway on her way to the war room and the QEC compartment.  She made a request to the ‘air’ as she circled the display well of the war terminal.  “Commander Shepard?  Please meet me in the QEC chamber.” 

The commander’s image coalesced as Traynor walked past the entry bulkhead.  After returning Traynor’s salute, Shepard asked, “What’s this about, Specialist?”

“Would you mind contacting Harbinger?  Now that _Normandy_ is safe and everyone is accounted for, we need to request that he send Esiz’Qür to Earth, assist in locating enough eezo to repower Žiuk’Durmah, and I’d rather the request come from you.”

“Me?  _I’m_ not responsible for his current condition, Specialist,” Shepard said in an unexpectedly snarky tone of voice.  “ _You're_ responsible for starting all this mess, including the decision to eject his eezo core.  Reminds me, by the way, that I never _did_ congratulate you on your imaginative solution to an impossible situation.  How’s our ‘transporter’ _doing_ , Samantha?  

“He’s alive, Commander!  Cognitive functions are at a bare minimum, but everything is still there.  He voiced… curiosity… that an insignificant quarian and human, meaning Tali and me, would be inquiring about _his_ health.  Can you imagine _that_ happening right after the lot of ‘em tore through Kite’s Nest?”  Traynor shook her head in mock amazement.

“Were you able to retrieve Javik?”

“Almost needed a pry bar to peel ‘im off the metal decking – blood had frozen under ‘im, glued ‘im down.  Miserable roach is on his way to the Bio-Research Center at Huerta Memorial to be dissected like the bug he is… or… was!” 

“Okay.  Let’s just hope they don’t have any hanar on their staff there.  Might be the start of whole other war – can you imagine them _wanting_ to dissect an _‘enkindler’?”_

Traynor chuckled.  “Could result in a bunch of angry hanar picketing the research wing at the hospital.  Might even make a good story line for another _Blasto_ movie.”

Shepard laughed.  “Go ahead, Specialist… make the call.  I’ll standby.”

Traynor nodded, said “Yes, Ma’am,” and entered the request into the control interface; within seconds she was rewarded with a facsimile of the oldest Repository in the galaxy coalescing in the imaging chamber.

› ** _Traynor-Specialist; Shepard-Normandy.  How may I assist you?_** ‹

“Harbinger, we have recovered the body of the last Prothean from inside Žiuk’Durmah.  I messaged Žiuk’Durmah before we left.  His life continues.  He needs a new eezo core in order to resume the life he had before Javik attempted to destroy him.”

› ** _Query repeated, Traynor-Specialist.  How may I assist you?_** ‹

Thinking, _Dammit!  Have to think like a machine…_ she replied, “Will you direct Esiz’Qür to travel to Earth orbit.  Esiz’Qür should be able to salvage a complete eezo core from one of the many Nazara-class Repositories destroyed during the war.  _Shanghai-cruiser_ and _Stalingrad-frigate_ are there, recovering organic remains; they will assist, if necessary, but Esiz’Qür needs to be there.  He’s large enough to store an intact core and return it to the Citadel.”

It was several seconds before Harbinger answered.  › ** _What you request has never been done, Traynor-Specialist.  I will accompany Esiz’Qür to Earth orbit.  Together we will retrieve what is necessary to restore Žiuk’Durmah to his former independence._** ‹

“Thank you, Harbinger.  Logging you out.”

Traynor looked at the chrono as Harbinger’s image pixilated and disappeared in swirling reds and purples.  ‘ _Just enough time for a quick lunch…’_ came the thought.  

“Commander, we’ll be meeting in the conference room shortly.  I’ve been on the run since I rose this morning…  I’d like to grab a bite of lunch on deck three.”  Traynor saluted Shepard’s image and waited.

Shepard smiled and returned Traynor’s salute.  “Get going, Specialist.  See you at 1300.” 

 


	50. Debriefings, Transfers and Promotions

_He fell silent.  For several moments they all did, and the quiet had the feel of a deliberate thing.  Then Eddie said, "All right, we're back together again.  What the hell do we do next?” –_ Stephen King _, The Dark Tower_

* * *

 **Cover** _– Military slang for hat_

* * *

 *** SSV ORIZABA • ADMIRAL HACKETT’S CONFERENCE ROOM *  
** **— 0705, WEDNESDAY, 23 JANUARY 2188 —**

Doctor Ann Bryson thanked her escort as he paused outside the door to the admiral’s personal conference room aboard the _SSV Orizaba_ , the dreadnaught serving as the Alliance Navy’s flagship in the Widow System.  She had ridden a shuttle from her office and lab on the Citadel to meet with the admiral and the captain of the _Hong Kong II_ to discuss her findings to date.

The two men stood as she entered; the admiral spoke first as he motioned for her to take a seat at the table.  “Welcome, Doctor Bryson… it’s good to see you again.”  Motioning to Captain Cody, he introduced him as the commander of the _Hong Kong_.

Taking his seat again, he folded his arms on the table, leaned forward and said, “There are a couple of things you need to know, Doctor Bryson.  Given the level of your security clearance, I feel comfortable in telling you that Cody here,”  he nodded to the captain, “will be assuming command of the _SSV Normandy_ as of 0001 hours tomorrow.”

Ann nodded to Cody as she said, “Congratulations, Captain.”

Hackett continued, “I know you are still involved in research concerning Leviathan.  While the _Normandy_ for the most part will be involved in eradicating the Blue Suns organization from the galaxy, they will also be searching for any artifacts left behind by the Leviathans themselves.”

“I hope you’re not planning on collecting those things, Admiral… they’re extremely dangerous to _any_ organic mind that’s close-by.”  Ann’s concern showed in both her expression and tone of voice.  “I can certainly testify to the hazards they represent, and can only imagine what several of them together would be capable of doing.”

“Understood, Doctor.”  Hackett looked at a datapad and added, “The plan is to quarantine and shield the artifacts, monitor them, then destroy them… in that order, for the safety of all.  We’ll have Harbinger task a number of the lesser Reapers… most likely their ‘Destroyer’ class members, in locating and gathering the artifacts.”

Cody spoke up, asking, “Would destroying them cause the Leviathans to leave their underwater refuge?”

“Unknown at this point.  As water breathers and with no thrall race to serve them, I believe they are unable to travel off-planet,”  Ann replied.  “I’d certainly recommend their system be remotely monitored for any activity.  I would really hate for us to have to fight another race of creatures with such a ‘god’ complex.”

Hackett agreed with Doctor Bryson’s assessment, saying, “I’ll present all our evidence to the Alliance and Citadel Defense Councils, recommending 2181 Despoina be monitored and quarantined.  I really hope their race doesn’t exist anywhere else.”

“As do I,”  Ann replied.  “All the evidence we’ve found to date suggests they only were able to achieve spaceflight by enthralling other, land based species to do the heavy lifting.  When their ‘construct’ turned on them, virtually their entire race was wiped out.  We believe those surviving on 2181 Despoina are the last of their kind, based on Commander Shepard’s report of her meeting with them.”

Ann paused to take a sip of water, then added, “They are no better than the Reapers modeled on them… they truly do believe they are the apex race of the galaxy.

“Then let’s hope 2181 Despoina is the only place they exist, Doctor,”  Hackett smiled as he stood.  “Thanks for coming to speak with us this morning.  We’ll contact you soon.”

* * *

 *** SSV NORMANDY DECK TWO • CONFERENCE ROOM *  
** **— 1244, WEDNESDAY, 23 JANUARY 2188 —**

Lieutenant Commander Rachaél Anne Shepard ‘stood’, her back to the viewport, in the forward corner of the _Normandy_ _’s_ conference room.  Temporarily alone with her thoughts, she cast her thoughts back to the beginning… her awakening from darkness, in a place unlike any she could have ever imagined in her dreams… or nightmares.

It had been a voyage not like anything she had _ever_ experienced in her now 15 years with the Alliance Navy, a journey that would probably stand as something unique to humankind.  And now, with the _Normandy_ safely moored once more at the Citadel, Shepard realized her journey had merely paused at a way station, a rest stop before the second stage of her journey could begin.

It was now the stated goal of the Reapers… Repositories… Harbinger in particular, to scour the galaxy for a cloned body into which Shepard’s spiritual form could be merged.  Doctor Liara T’Soni, Shepard’s promised bondmate in all but signed statement and bracelet exchange, had been joined by Garrus Vakarian inside Iringù-Eßizkur, a ‘destroyer’ class Repository into which Samantha Traynor and Tali’Zorah had installed all of the Shadow Broker’s equipment removed from Liara’s quarters on the _Normandy_.  Iringù-Eßizkur, the Repository that had brought supplies to them midway through their voyage, had volunteered her services as a mobile platform for the Shadow Broker.

Iringù-Eßizkur was taking the Shadow Broker and Garrus Vakarian to the Exodus Cluster after traveling through the Charon relay to Arcturus; from there, they would go to the Horsehead Nebula, where they hoped to locate the Minuteman Station.  A Cerberus facility before the war, Miranda Lawson had been employed there at some point during Rachaél Shepard’s reconstruction.  It was also where the _Normandy SR-2_ had been launched to begin the Cerberus-led campaign against the Collectors.

“Rachaél?  Are you okay?”  EDI had quietly entered the conference room and was standing at the head of the table.

Shepard came back to the ‘here-and-now’ as she turned her attention to EDI.  “I am fine, EDI.”  There was a melancholy tone in her voice as she continued, “I was just…  contemplating… the past… the events that have brought us here… to now, and pondering what the future holds… for me… for us.”

EDI crossed her arms as she moved to stand beside the commander’s image and gazed out the viewport, studying the emptiness of this portion of the Alliance docks.  The _Hong Kong_ was moored on _Normandy_ _’s_ port side… the only other ship docked here.  EDI turned back towards Shepard and smiled.  “The future will take care of itself… my friend.”

“Good afternoon, EDI?  Shepard?”  Alenko walked into the room accompanied by Miranda Lawson, who was lightly holding onto his upper arm.

“EDI.  Commander.  How are you this afternoon?”  Miranda sounded happy, a condition no doubt the result of having Kaidan Alenko accompanying her everywhere she went.

Shepard nodded at the pair.  “Nice to see you Miri… Kaidan.  Oh, and Doctor Chakwas.  It’s good to see you as well.”

Karin had been closely following Alenko and Lawson; the two women walked around to the other side of the table as Lieutenant’s Vega, Cortez and Adams entered, walked around and stood beside Karin and Miranda.  Joker came in and moved carefully around the table to stand next to EDI, leaving only Specialist Traynor, Yuán Xiùlán, Captain William Cody and Admiral Hackett yet to arrive.

Kaidan quickly excused himself to go forward to wait for Admiral Hackett; Captain William Cody and Staff Commander Yuán Xiùlán, both looking resplendent in dress blues with ‘covers’ held under their left upper arms, arrived and took up positions adjacent to the end of the table as Alenko headed through the security checkpoint.

Everyone was talking quietly with each other as Specialist Traynor, also wearing her dress uniform, brought in a dozen datapads, which she distributed around the table before moving to stand beside Miranda.  A Navy Serviceman entered the room bearing a pitcher full of water and twelve glasses on a large tray; she placed the tray in the center of the table, then turned and left. 

* * *

*** DECK TWO • PORT SIDE AIRLOCK, 1256 ***

Alenko checked the chrono adjacent to the inner airlock hatch.  He was waiting for the Admiral’s arrival; standing just inside the airlock, he split his attention between the outer hatch and Chief Daniels, standing near the forward end of the tactical passageway.  At precisely 1258, a shadow fell across the passage and that unmistakable voice asked, “Permission to come aboard?”

Alenko had come to full attention as Hackett appeared at the outer hatch.  “Permission granted, Sir.  Welcome aboard the _Normandy_.”

Hackett offered his hand as he said, “Thank you, Major.  It’s good to see you again.  Shall we get to it?”

Alenko turned and preceded Hackett into the passageway; as they walked towards the CIC, Gabby, having literally run down the tactical passageway, stood at full attention beside the three stairs and said in a loud, no nonsense voice, “Admiral On Deck!”  The Alliance repair technicians all stopped and turned towards her voice as they came to attention.

As Alenko and Hackett walked down the three stairs to the CIC level, Hackett said, “As you were,” while following Alenko around to the security passage on the starboard side, past a pair of marines assigned as replacements for Westmoreland and Campbell, and into the passageway to the conference room.

Everyone hurriedly came to attention as Hackett, himself resplendent in his dress blue uniform, entered the room and walked to the table end closest to the war room.

He quietly said, “As you were, everyone; please take your seats.”  He sat down and picked up the datapad closest to him.  After the room quieted down, he glanced briefly at everyone while saying, “Each of you has a copy of our agenda for this meeting.  First order of business is crew assignments and reassignments.”

Looking at his own device, Hackett cleared his throat before looking squarely at James Vega.  “Lieutenant Vega, the Alliance has accepted a recommendation for your assignment to ‘N’-school.  On or before Friday, 22 February 2188, you will report to the Interplanetary Combatives Academy at Vila Militar in Rio de Janeiro, Earth.”  Hackett grinned as he said that, as the location of the N-school was well known to all present.  He touched a control on his datapad, causing Vega’s omnitool to briefly light up in response.

“Congratulations, Lieutenant.  There’s a fair number of people here that believe you will do really well there, including…” here he glanced at Shepard’s image before continuing, “… Commander Shepard and…” he looked at his datapad again for confirmation, “… Specialist Samantha Traynor.”

Vega looked a bit embarrassed and responded, “Thank you, Sir.  I’ll make sure you won’t regret giving me this chance.”  He grinned at Traynor, who smiled back. 

Hackett’s smile lessened as he looked through his datapad.  “Doctor Karin Chakwas.  As the _Normandy_ is effectively dry docked until the remainder of the retrofits and repairs begun on Earth can be completed, you are being temporarily attached to Huerta Memorial Hospital, where you will be in charge of the reorganization of the Alliance section there, effective beginning Friday, 22 February 2188.”

Hackett noted the trace of disappointment that flashed across her face and added, “It’s not my intention to keep you from flying, Karin.  Right now, your knowledge and expertise can serve us better ashore than on an inactive ship.  I fully intend to return you to _Normandy_ when she’s ready to fly again.”  He thumbed the datapad, causing Doctor Chakwas’ omnitool to activate long enough to receive the new orders.

Karin smiled as she replied, “Thank you, Sir.”

The admiral knew all of this was rough; these people had been together a long time and gone through some tough times.  He sighed as he stood up, placed his cover firmly on his head and picked the next item.  “I expect some of you may be unhappy with my next reassignments.  Captain Cody?  Staff Commander Yuán Xiùlán?”

Cody and Yuán stood as one, came to attention and set their hats firmly on their heads as Hackett continued.  “As my next reassignments pertain to two vessels, I’m going to announce them together.  Captain Cody: as of 0001 hours tomorrow, 24 January 2188, you will relinquish command of _SSV Hong Kong II_ ; at that time you will assume command of _SSV Normandy_.  Staff Commander Yuán Xiùlán: as of 0001 hours tomorrow, 24 January 2188, you will assume command of _SSV Hong Kong II_.”

He swiped his finger on the datapad, causing both their omnitools to light up in response.  As soon as the omnitools had received his orders, each saluted the admiral.  Hackett returned their salutes, then offered his hand to Cody.

“Congratulations, Bill.  You’re getting an excellent ship with an exemplary crew.”

“Thank _you_ , Admiral,”  Cody said quietly.  He glanced briefly at Xiùlán and smiled before returning his attention to Admiral Hackett.  “I’ll take good care of her, Sir.”

Turning towards Xiùlán, he clasped her hand and said, “Congratulations, Ms Yuán.  The _Hong Kong_ is an exceptional ship with a first-rate crew.  Their new executive officer will have some very large shoes to fill, but there’s no doubt in my mind having you in charge of the ship will only enhance the _HK2_ ’s record in the Alliance.”

Xiùlán smiled as she answered the admiral, “Thank you very much, Sir.  I’m really looking forward to the assignment.”

“As to personnel, I already have recommendations from each of you regarding crew members you intend to promote, and I have documents to make it happen ready for everyone.  For transfers, any you deem necessary to augment your crews will need approval from myself _and_ the captain of whatever ship you’re poaching them from, so the sooner I have those names, the better.”

Hackett motioned for Cody and Yuán to retake their seats as he once again retrieved his datapad and looked at the next item.  Saying “Miranda Lawson?” he waited as she stood up and took a step away from the table.

“Now then, Ms Lawson; it has come to my attention that you wish to join the Alliance Navy.  In what capacity do you feel you would be best suited to serve?”

Miranda quickly glanced at Xiùlán as she cleared her throat.  “I am applying for a position as a communications systems officer.  I’ve been told there will soon be an opening on the _SSV Hong Kong_ , Sir.”

“Do you have any experience in that field, Ms Lawson?  What was your previous job?”

Miranda swallowed hard.  She hadn’t expected to be quizzed by the old veteran.  “I was employed by… a man named Jack Harper… as his chief undercover operative for… a privately funded organization.”

Hackett grinned inwardly as he made her squirm just a bit.  Outwardly, his stern expression never wavered.  “A privately funded organization… are you referring to Cerberus, Ms Lawson?”

“Yes Sir.”

“So, you were an undercover operative… working for Jack Harper… or should I say… the Illusive Man… in the terrorist organization known as Cerberus?”

Miranda glanced at Xiùlán again, worry evident on her face.  “Sir, that _is_ true… I was his _top_ operative, actually.”  She took a deep breath and continued on before he could interrupt her.  “And _as_ his top operative, I was extremely knowledgeable in the art of secure communications and dealing with highly classified intel.  I once obtained an OD from a traitorous double-agent and managed to bypass numerous layers of encryption and an implanted virus before it could self-activate in the reader.”

Miranda looked down at the table for a moment before squaring her shoulders and continuing, “I also worked with a former Alliance soldier – Jacob Taylor, so am highly skilled in Alliance communications protocols as well, and I have a lot of friends within the Alliance.  It was _my_ analysis of the raw intel that led to the recovery of Commander Shepard’s body from the _Normandy SR-1_ crash site on Alchera; I was the mission leader on the Lazarus Project that brought her back to life.  I believe I have _more_ than enough experience to be an effective communications officer on an Alliance frigate.”

The twinkle in Hackett’s eyes gave him away a split second before he smiled.  “Ms Lawson, I’d be lying through my teeth if I said your credentials are anything but impressive.  If you would… ?”  Hackett stepped sideways towards the viewport as he motioned for her to come closer, which she did, moving to stand in front of the imposing man as she wondered what he intended to do.

He presented her with his datapad and a stylus.  “Ms Lawson, the contract spelled out here is a warrant for you to serve in the Alliance Navy for a period of not less than three years.  Once you sign that document and swear the oath, you will be enlisted as a Chief Warrant Officer Two, with all the responsibilities incumbent for that position.  Still ready to serve?”

Miranda took the datapad Hackett offered, read through it quickly – she had already read the contract in its entirety in Xiùlán’s quarters the previous evening – endorsed and dated it at the bottom and placed her thumbprint on the surface.

Hackett smiled at her and said, “Raise your right hand and read the oath aloud so everyone here knows exactly what you’re agreeing to do.”

Miranda turned, positioning her back towards the pressure hull and viewport so the other people could see her, raised her right hand and repeated the oath:

_“I, Miranda Elizabeth Lawson, having been appointed an officer in the Navy of the Systems Alliance in the grade of Chief Warrant Officer Two, do solemnly affirm that I will support and defend the regulations and accords of the Systems Alliance against all enemies, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter.”_

Miranda looked up at the admiral – her new boss; there was dead silence in the room as she returned the datapad to him.

He pressed his own thumb to the surface, causing her omnitool to light up in response as he offered his hand to her and said, “Congratulations, Ms Lawson.  Welcome to the Alliance Navy.”

The silence was broken by Vega, who could not resist standing and bringing his hands together in approval, to which everyone else joined in.  After the applause had died down, Hackett looked her up and down, and with a bit of mock severity said, “Ms Lawson, unless my eyes deceive me, it would appear that you are out of uniform.”

Xiùlán broke in with an explanation, saying, “Sir, if I may?  I believe Ms Lawson’s uniform is on board the _Hong Kong_.”

“Okay, Commander.  I think we could all use a short break.  Twenty minutes, everyone.”

* * *

When they reconvened, Miranda was dressed in her new standard duty uniform, complete with her rank insignia as a Chief Warrant Officer – a CW-2.   Hackett glanced at her as she entered the compartment, then took a second look and observed, “Ms Lawson, you look every bit the career Navy officer.”

“Thank you, Sir,”  Miranda replied in an uncharacteristically shy voice.   “Commander Yuán helped get me set up with the proper clothing.”

“Looks like she did a good job,”  he said, almost to himself.   He cupped his chin as he looked at the ex-Cerberus operative.   “I expect you will be more of an asset to the Navy than you can imagine, Ms Lawson.   And if I know the commander, she was probably quite generous with Alliance financial resources.”

Miranda glanced at Xiùlán before she answered.  “Yes, Sir.  Commander Yuán _did_ make sure I was properly outfitted for the job I would be doing.”

Hackett nodded once, then looked around at everyone in the room and got right to business.  “Okay, there’s the question of what to do about the AI here with us today.”  He looked pointedly at EDI.  “I know you are, or were, a creation of Cerberus, and that Flight Lieutenant Moreau released the restraints preventing you from taking independent action.”

Shepard interrupted with, “Sir.  Please consider… EDI has been and still is a vital member of this ship.  When Joker released her shackles, she saved him and the ship from the Collectors, enabling me and my squads to rescue the crew that was taken, destroy the Collectors, their ship and their station, _and_ prevent Cerberus from acquiring more of their technology.  She, and that pronoun _is_ accurate for an organic-mechanical hybrid, is the _only_ reason I have retained my sanity in the server core, Sir.  Her continued presence on this ship is absolutely essential to _my_ continued survival.” 

EDI glanced at Shepard before returning her gaze to the admiral.  “Commander Shepard sacrificed her life as an organic…” EDI’s voice seemed to catch, as if she was having trouble speaking.  “… as a person… in order to save… everyone.  She saved all of us, Admiral, including me.  I owe my existence… my life… to Commander Rachaél Shepard.”

Shepard continued with, “I didn’t choose synthesis for just a few species, Sir.  Yes, I was thinking about EDI.  I was also thinking about the geth… their continued existence as sentient beings, and the quarians, their creators.”  Shepard’s voice hinted at the depth of the soul-searching she had been doing.  “I didn’t bust my ass preventing them from destroying each other over Rannoch, only to destroy them with the Crucible.  Were you aware there’s Reaper code imbedded in the geth programming?  Reaper code was imbedded in EDI’s programming.  The Reaper code imbedded in my organic body and in the computer core of this ship – all of it survived because of my sacrifice.  EDI is alive, Sir.   She is an organic/mechanical hybrid, _not_ a mechanical/organic hybrid.”

The puzzlement in the admiral’s expression was plain for all to see.  “I don’t see the distinction, Commander.”

Shepard looked at EDI as she continued, “With EDI, the ‘organic’ portion comes first, Admiral.  The geth, on the other hand, should be considered mechanical/organics, since their platforms are controlled by software stored in massive server banks.  Semantics aside, they’re all ‘alive’.  They can think for themselves, independent of outside control or influence.  They are all self-aware; to me, _that_ is the very definition of intelligent life.”

Hackett thought about all that had been said, then looked at EDI and asked, “Okay, how do I rationalize your presence on this vessel?  You are not a member of the Alliance Navy or Marines, despite the Alliance confiscation of this vessel from Cerberus.  As Fleet Admiral, I have to be able to provide a valid reason or reasons for you to remain on the _Normandy_ …” he held up his hand to stifle the interruption he could see was forming on Shepard’s lips, “… _beyond_ your assistance in keeping Shepard from going insane inside the server.”

EDI cocked her head as she paused for several moments to research the ship’s logs.

Cody chose this moment to interrupt.  “Admiral, consider for a moment… EDI was instrumental in Commander Shepard’s takedown of Cerberus headquarters.  That station is still out there, along with probably half a dozen or more similar stations, any of which could hold the key to enabling Shepard’s release from the _Normandy’s_ server core.  EDI’s knowledge of Cerberus operations will be an asset to us in the search.  I believe it’s in our best interests to find a way to keep her on this vessel going forward – I believe it’s the only way we’re going to succeed, Sir.”

Hackett massaged his temples between thumb and fingers, then rubbed his face as he looked at the organic/mechanical hybrid woman standing at the far end of the room.   “EDI, your mobile platform… are you able to operate independently of the _Normandy_?   Could you land on a planet for instance, and continue to function without the ship being in the immediate area?”

“Unknown, Sir.  When I was part of the computer server aboard this ship, I could perform as part of a ground team planetside as long as I was in tight-beam range of _Normandy_.  I have not had an opportunity to leave the ship and travel any great distance since.”  EDI turned and looked at Shepard’s image; she in turn solemnly looked at EDI.

Hackett paused for several moments before speaking again.  “Okay then, here’s what we’ll do.  EDI, inasmuch as you are, by your own admission, not a member of the Alliance, I’m afraid you cannot continue to wear an Alliance uniform.”  Hackett chose his next few words carefully.  “I am _requesting_ that you remain with the _Normandy_ as a liaison for Commander Shepard’s presence in the computer core.  The Alliance Fifth Fleet will provide you with a wardrobe suitable for a civilian contractor in your position, and an account will be set up in your name so payments can be deposited for services rendered.”

Shepard interjected, “Sir, that account will require a serial number or service number or something, along with a full name, and probably a birthdate.”

Hackett thought for a moment before replying, “Your name is Edie… _Edie Coré_.   Now _there’s_ a bit of irony for you.   I understand that platform was once used by an AI named _Eva Coré_ – we can combine the names for official use.  As for a birthdate, when were you created?”

EDI tilted her head slightly as she replied, “I was born in 2182 of the rogue Hannibal-class VI on Luna, with additional engineering design technology gained from Sovereign’s remains.  As Shepard has said, I am at least _partially_ based on Reaper technology.  As to a ‘service number’, this platform has a model and serial number which should suffice.”

Hackett looked at the _Normandy’s_ new Captain.  “Captain Cody, please test Edie’s ability to function away from the influence of the _Normandy’s_ server as soon as possible – perhaps have her travel on the _Hong Kong_ through the relays and back to Earth, see if there are any limitations on her performance.”

Cody replied, “Yes Sir,” then grinned as he turned towards Edie.  “I'm sure Commander Yuán would be amenable to a test flight.  Ms Coré, it’s a pleasure to have you on the _Normandy_.  Your analytical and deep-space navigation skills are most welcome, as are your obvious skills in accessing the ship’s computer.”

Edie nodded to Cody and Hackett, a hint of a smile lifting the corners of her mouth.

Hackett’s grin faded as he looked at his datapad.  The meeting was dragging into late afternoon, and he still had a number of things to get accomplished.  He looked at Cody as he asked, “Promotions?  You had two crew members in mind?”

“Three, actually.”  Cody nodded.  “The first one will become my XO.”  He stood and looked at Greg Adams.  “Lieutenant?” 

Adams rose from his chair and faced Cody as Hackett once again stood up.  “Sir?”

Hackett squared his shoulders and looked at Adams with his piercing grey-blue eyes.   “Lieutenant Gregory Adams: as a duly appointed representative of the Earth Systems Alliance Council, and acting upon the joint recommendations of Major Kaidan Alenko and Captain William Cody, who have placed special trust and confidence in your patriotism, integrity, and abilities, as well as your demonstrated potential to serve in the higher grade, I, Steven Hackett, an Admiral in the Systems Alliance Navy, authorize Lieutenant Gregory Adams to assume the grade of Lieutenant Commander, Systems Alliance Navy, effective this twenty-third day of January, twenty-one hundred and eighty-eight.”  He waited for the applause to die down, then said, “Congratulations, Lieutenant Commander Adams.”  He returned Adams’ salute and looked at his datapad.

Cody next looked at Steve Cortez and asked him to stand.  Hackett read the same promotion verbiage to Steve, also promoting him to the rank of Lieutenant Commander.

After the applause faded away, Cody looked at his third candidate for promotion.   “Specialist Traynor?”  Sam stood and came to attention as Cody looked at his datapad.

“Ms Traynor, before we proceed, Major Alenko and Commander Shepard have something for you.”  Cody looked at the pair as he continued, "Please join them at the side of the table."

As Sam moved to the indicated position, her heart was in her throat.   ‘ _What the ’ell kinda trouble am I in now!’_ she thought nervously.

Alenko looked to the audience and spoke: “Ladies and Gentlemen, please stand...    Attention to Orders...”   

Shepard waited patiently as everyone rose to their feet and came to the position of attention before she started reciting the citation for the award. 

> “This is to certify the Systems Alliance Navy has awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal of Achievement to CW3 Samantha Traynor, for superior performance while serving as a team leader in preventing the death by sabotage of the Repository known as Žiuk’Durmah prior to transiting the Charon Relay.  Ms Traynor displayed extraordinary skill, resourcefulness and initiative in keeping her teammates safe, escaping from Žiuk’Durmah’s cargo compartment, and remotely ejecting the eezo core after dealing with the person responsible for the sabotage.  CW3 Traynor’s exceptional ability, personal initiative and total dedication to duty reflected credit upon herself and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the Systems Alliance Navy.”

As soon as Shepard read the closing line of the citation, Alenko stepped toward Traynor and pinned the medal on the front of her uniform, shook her hand and stepped back.

Traynor’s eyes were glistening with unshed tears as she saluted the major; after he returned her salute she offered her hand, which he took with a smile as he whispered just for her ears, “It wasn’t that long ago we were in this room together for a very different reason, eh, Specialist? Congratulations.”

“Thank you, Sir!”  She beamed as she nodded towards Shepard’s image.  “Thank you, Ma’am.”

Hackett coughed to regain Traynor’s attention as everyone else sat down.  “Under normal conditions, Commander Shepard would have pinned that medal to your jacket; not having ‘real’ hands makes that difficult,”  he explained with a smile, “so she grudgingly swapped duties with Major Alenko for the purposes of the presentation.”

Without pause, Hackett continued on, “Now then, there’s one more promotion that needs attending to – that would be yours, Ms Traynor.”  Traynor was so taken aback by her award, she heard only a small part of Hackett’s speech.  “… as a duly appointed representative… joint recommendations of Major Kaidan Alenko and Captain William Cody,… special trust… abilities… potential… higher grade, I… authorize CW3 Samantha Traynor to assume the grade of Chief Warrant Officer Four… effective this… day… twenty-one hundred and eighty-eight.”

Hackett once again held up his hand to stifle the round of applause before it drowned him out.  “Congratulations, Ms Traynor.”  He returned Traynor’s salute and looked at his datapad as everyone present stood and applauded Sam’s promotion, none with more enthusiasm than Yuán Xiùlán and James Vega, who proclaimed, “Bravo, Especialista!”

Hackett had two more items on his agenda for today.  He looked at Xiùlán and said, “Ms Yuán?”  Hackett proceeded to recite verbiage similar to what he had previously said, beginning with, “…  acting upon the recommendation of Captain William Cody, who has placed special trust and confidence in your patriotism, integrity, and abilities, as well as your demonstrated potential to serve in the higher grade…” and concluding with, “…  authorize Staff Commander Yuán Xiùlán to assume the grade of Captain, Systems Alliance Navy, effective this twenty-third day of January, twenty-one hundred and eighty-eight.”  As the room once again erupted in applause, Hackett waved a hand and smiled as he said, “Captain Cody, if you would do the honors, please?”

Cody turned to face Xiùlán; she turned slightly to face her captain.  Cody already had a set of captain’s bars in his hand, which he proceeded to attach to her collar as he said in a voice just loud enough for everyone to hear, “ _Captain_ Yuán.  This insignia was the first one I received after my own promotion… I’ve saved it for just such an occasion as this… I’d like to think the good fortune it has brought me will be yours as well.”  New rank shining on her collar, Xiùlán shook Cody’s hand as she whispered, “Thanks, Captain.  Means a lot.”  She then turned back slightly to face Admiral Hackett and offered him a salute, which he returned.  Hackett then waved his hand at the people in the room as he finished with, “May I present to one and all… _Captain_ Yuán Xiùlán.”  Hackett began applauding, followed by everyone else in the conference room as Yuán moved to stand beside the admiral; Traynor’s smile contrasted with the tears running down her face.

When he stopped clapping, Yuán stuck out her right hand.  “Thank you for the opportunity, Sir.  I really appreciate your support.”  After shaking the admiral’s hand, she returned to stand beside Cody.

Hackett poured himself a glass of water as quiet once again descended on the room.   Glancing at the ever-present datapad, he looked up at Kaidan and said, “Major Alenko, I have an opportunity here that may be perfect for you.  It’s not something you have been assigned to do, let me be clear on that, but it _is_ a job I would like you to consider.”

Kaidan looked puzzled as he responded, “I take it the job is _not_ on the _Normandy_ … is it on another ship, or the Citadel?”

“Neither, Major.”  Hackett touched his datapad, forwarding the specifics to Alenko’s omnitool.  “Briefly, it’s a position at Grissom Academy as their new Chief of Staff.   Having biotically trained personnel from there, even if most of them were too young to legally drink, was a real help during the final battles on Earth.  Unfortunately for us, Kaylee Sanders is having a tough time dealing with the loss of Admiral Anderson – not sure _any_ of us will ever be able to come to terms with his death.”

“What happened to her, Sir?  Isn’t she planning on returning to the school?”

“She was injured in the final battle, Major.”  Hackett rubbed his chin as he thought about her recent history.  “Since she had a lot of vacation leave accrued, she took all of it, along with her mandatory medical leave.  She’s currently on extended medical leave, recuperating on Elysium, I’m told.  Her return to active duty is not a sure thing by any means; she has twenty-seven years in the service, been through a lot of tough battles.”

Kaidan was silent for a few moments before responding.  “Has anyone talked to her?…  asked her if she’s coming back?  I mean, she was one of our top computer and systems technicians, plus she’s an expert in synthetic intelligence.  I really can’t imagine her resigning her commission and taking a reduced pension… not after surviving everything she’s been through.”

Hackett nodded his head as he replied, “Look at the offer Major.  We need someone to run the academy, and your biotics ability would certainly be a plus.  Let me know tomorrow.  I have to come back to discuss transfers with Captains Cody and Yuán.  If you can get Sanders back to the academy, good, but you would still be Chief of Staff there.  Think about it.”

“I will, Sir.  Thank you.”

“Good.”  Hackett looked at the chrono and said, “It’s late.  Unless there’s something else that won’t keep until tomorrow, let’s adjourn for the day.  My thanks to all of you.”  As Hackett stood to leave, everyone else stood and came to attention.  Kaidan moved to accompany Hackett back through the CIC and out through the airlock to the docks.


	51. Assignment and Recruitment

_Great leaders are most wanted.  They are most wanted for what they do with their gifts and talents.  Their dreams are so unique in such a way that their presence becomes a source of hope and courage for others to thread on along.  Why won't they look for them?_ – Israelmore Ayivor _, The Great Hand Book of Quotes_

* * *

*** SSV NORMANDY DECK TWO · CONFERENCE ROOM ***

Steve Cortez and Greg Adams approached Captain Cody before he could leave the conference room; Steve spoke first.  “Moment of your time, Captain?” 

Cody caught Traynor’s attention before she left the room.  “Ms Traynor?   Would you wait outside for a few moments?   I’d like to speak with you about a personal matter.”

“Of course, Captain.”  Traynor moved out into the passageway to stand near the security station so Cody could speak with Cortez and Adams privately.

Cody looked back at Cortez and asked, “Okay, Commander, what can I do for you?”

Cortez looked at Greg before jumping in.  “Sir, I was wondering if it’s too soon to be asking about a transfer.”

Cody frowned and replied, “You’re not even under my command yet and you want out already?   That _has_ to be some kind of record.”

Cortez blushed and stammered, “Ah, no… not… oh no, not for me… Sir.  I’d like to have someone transferred _onto_ the _Normandy_ , Sir.  A replacement, for me… that is, my former position… as a procurement officer and a UT-47 pilot, Sir.”

“I take it you already have someone in mind?”

“I do, Sir… a lieutenant on the _Orizaba_ , Sherri Morse.  She’s already doing the same jobs over there, but I believe she’d welcome the opportunity to deploy on a frigate.”

“Okay, Mr Cortez.  Give her a call; confirm that it’s something _she_ wants to do.  Soon as you get back to me, I’ll contact the Orizaba’s captain and see if he’s amenable to losing a crewman; if we can come to an agreement, we’ll take it to the admiral.”

Cortez looked pleased for a second, then had to ask, “Sir, you didn’t ask me if I felt she was qualified.”

“She _must_ be qualified, Cortez, or you wouldn’t be asking me to bring her aboard.”

“Yes, Sir.  Thank you, Sir.”

Cody responded with a grin.  “You’re welcome, Commander.”  He looked at Greg as he motioned both to sit.  Speaking in a quiet voice as he closed the door, he said, “Let’s talk for a few minutes before we leave the ship.  You two are still on leave until 22 February, but I’d like you both to be thinking about your new positions… _and_ your new responsibilities… on this ship.”

Activating his own datapad, Cody opened with, “For starters, I prefer a bit of informality with my command staff, so when it’s just the two of us or three of us in private, you can drop the titles, okay?   My name is ‘Bill’ - if that’s _too_ informal for you, ‘Cody’ will work as well.”  With a cheeky grin he added, “It never worked for Commander… er, _Captain_ Yuán, either.

He continued as he turned towards Adams, “Greg, you and I will be meeting a lot.  I’ve never taken to putting on airs like some people do when they’re wearing silver or brass.  In the common areas, it’s ‘Captain’ and ‘Commander’, but privately…” here Cody shrugged his shoulders.  “… names will work just fine.  And I’m not a dictator like some captains, so for the most part, you two are going to be running this ship.  I suggest you both have a meeting with Captain Yuán to see how I let her run the _Hong Kong_ before she shoves off.”

Adams looked at his own datapad before meeting Cody’s eyes.  “ _That_ will take some getting used to, Sir.  Ah, was there anything else?”

“Your assignments.  I’ve been thinking about the division of responsibility on this ship, and I believe that by the time the retrofits are completed and additional crew is assigned to bring the compliment up to the recommended level for a vessel this size, I’m going to need my XO…” here he looked at Adams and grinned, “… to supervise all the ops and personnel on Deck Two, plus Food Services and Life Support on Deck Three.”

He referred to his datapad again and directed his next comments to Steve.  “Mr Cortez, as my new Space Warfare Officer, you’ll supervise the new Weapons Control Officer in the Main Battery on Deck Three, along with all the ops and personnel on Decks Four and Five.  We’ll find a good person for the WC position formerly held by Garrus Vakarian; you’ll still have Donnelly and Daniels in Engineering, and we’ll bring in some enlisted folks to take care of the armory and supplies.  If we can get Lieutenant Morse on board as our shuttle pilot, she may be your procurement officer as well.  Any questions?”

Steve was just trying to get used to this new captain’s style – so much different, he felt, than Commander Shepard’s.  “We’ll make it happen, Sir.”  Adams echoed Steve’s comments.

“Okay then.  You two enjoy the rest of your leave.  Check in with Yuán if you like.  And you might want to check back with me in a couple of weeks, just to see how we’re doing.  I may even have some info about Lieutenant Morris, along with a replacement WC officer.”

“Thank you, Sir,” Adams replied.

“Sir,” Cortez said as both took their leave.

* * *

Cody stood and walked to the forward end of the compartment, where he tapped on the clear panel to get Traynor’s attention as Cortez and Adams walked past her.  He motioned her into the compartment, then took a seat at the forward end of the table.

Sam reentered the conference room and asked, “You needed to speak with me, Sir?”

Cody waved her to one of the chairs next to his own.  “Ms Traynor, I needed to have a little chat with you before you head back to your apartment ashore.”

“What may I do for you, Captain?”  Sam was nervous, but schooled her expression into a neutral, wait-and-see mask as she waited for Cody to speak.

“I wanted you to know I am very grateful to you for saving the life of Yuán Xiùlán back in the day.  Right before Harbinger informed us the _Normandy_ and her crew were being carried back home from the outer reaches of the galaxy, I had a private conversation with Ms Yuán.  She told me _you’re_ the reason she’s still alive… as I understand it, one of your missions in the Terminus went sideways in the worst possible way.  She didn’t give me the details, other than to say she’d been shot by a batarian pirate… showed me her left thigh… damage to her leg…?”  Cody sat back in his chair, adding, “Looks like you worked very hard, above and beyond actually, to keep her alive and get your team extracted.”

“No more than she did for me on a previous mission, Sir.”  Sam wondered where this discussion was leading.

“When I learned of this, I promised myself I would personally thank you for saving her, Specialist, as soon as an opportunity presented itself.  Ms Yuán is a very special woman, something I suspect you are already well aware of.  Truth be told, she’s very special to me, as an officer, a friend… hell, as a person.”

“I agree…  She is a _very_ special person, Sir.”  Traynor added so Cody would have no doubt, “She’s _more_ than very special to me, Sir.”  Traynor looked down at the table for a moment before thinking, _‘To ‘ell with it!’_  She smiled at Cody and asked, “Permission to speak freely, Sir?”

Cody returned her smile as he said, “That’s something that has always been unspoken between myself and Yuán, Specialist.  I’ll extend the same courtesy to you… when it’s just the two of us, in private, you may _always_ presume to have that permission.”

Samantha was a bit taken aback by this revelation.  “Captain, I just wanted you to be aware that I fully intended to request a transfer to a position ashore once the _Normandy_ arrived home.  I discussed this at some length with Commander Shepard after… my confrontation with Javik, then EDI and Doctor T’Soni.”

Cody’s expression changed to reflect his curiosity.  “I’ve looked over the records of every crew member on this ship, yours included.  There was no mention of you having problems with anyone else onboard.  What happened?”

“Prothean bastard attempted to murder me right after we docked inside Žiuk’Durmah, Sir.  Tali’Zorah saved my life… used her shotgun on ‘im… wounded ‘im.  Žiuk’Durmah intervened when she and Garrus were going to take his head off… popped ‘im in a force field, took ‘im deeper inside the structure.  Condensed version?   I injured my shipmates because I refused to obey a command from a computer, Sir.  I did not believe Commander Shepard was real, was still alive in this ship’s computer, especially as she took Javik’s side when he refused to apologize for his actions.”

Cody was beginning to understand, but asked anyway, “Specialist, I’m just guessing, but it would seem you had to sign the same non-disclosure agreement as Ms Yuán.  You’ve obviously changed you mind about transferring off the _Normandy_.  What happened?”

“I had a private meeting with Commander Shepard, Sir.  We came to an understanding concerning her existence in the computer.  She convinced me to stay, had Major Alenko assign me as Dr T’Soni’s assistant.  We were a family, Captain.  Sounds funny to say it aloud, but… yeah, we worked well together.  If it were possible, I’d love to be assigned to the _Hong Kong_ , but I don’t believe the Alliance would allow me to work on a ship captained by…” Traynor hesitated a moment before finishing with, “… my lover.”

Cody nodded and replied, “You’re probably correct about that.  I’m glad you chose to stay on _this_ ship, Ms Traynor.  I believe your knowledge will be a real benefit, as we finish the refit, and going forward afterwards.”  He smiled as he stood to leave, his action mirrored by Traynor.  Offering his hand, he finished with, “Thank you, Ms Traynor.  I’m glad you and the _Normandy_ returned safely, and I’m really looking forward to working with you on this ship.”

Sam took his hand and nodded as she replied, “No more happier than I am… and you’re welcome, Sir.”

* * *

As Cody left the elevator to step onto Deck Three, he was accosted by Zaeed Massani.  “Cap’n, might I 'ave a few minutes ov yar time?”

Cody had nearly forgotten the old merc was still on the ship.  “Massani, good to see you.”  Cody walked around the elevator tower to his right.  “Let me grab a mug of coffee.  You?”

“I’ll grab a beer, if yew don’t mind greatly?”

“Of course.”  Cody poured a mug of coffee for himself as Zaeed grabbed a bottle of beer from the ‘fridge.  Motioning to the closest table in the mess area, he sat down with a sigh.  As Massani slid into the bench across the table, Cody took a long pull from his mug and made a face.  “Need some fresh brew,” he said in a tired voice.

“Long day fer ya, eh?”

“ _Every_ day is a long day; nothing unusual there, Zaeed.  So, what’s on your mind?”

Zaeed took a long pull from his bottle, swallowing a third of the contents with no effort.  “I’d like ta request an addishun ter the crew, Cap’n, an' I think you’ll agree she’s someone that’ll be needed on this boat.”  Zaeed fixed Cody with the gaze from his one good eye as he took another pull on the bottle.

“You’ve got my attention, Massani.  Who do we need to add, exactly?”

“I believe dis ship needs a weapons officer in da forward battery.  Met dis little bi' ov fluff on Earth when da _Leningrad_ found me, name ov Sandra Patton, Gunnery Chief on da _Shanghai_.  Thing is, she don’t suffer fools gladly…” he paused as he used the thumb on his free hand to point to his own chest, “… particularly _dis_ old fool.”

Cody studied the old merc, trying to decide if he was serious or just pulling his leg.  “What makes you think she’d be a good weapons officer, Massani?   Sounds like she’s just a chief – a non-com, and a Marine at that.”

“Call it a ‘unch, Cap’n.  She’s tough, knows ‘er business.”  Zaeed polished off his beer, leaned back and belched loudly.  “Call tha cap’n of the _Shanghai_ , offer ter take ‘er off’n ‘is ‘ands.  Ya _could_ offer ‘er a nice promotion, or per’aps a commission, same as what was done fer Lawson.”

Cody smirked, “News travels fast.”

Massani grinned at him and snarked back, “Small ship.  Anyway, tell ‘er I asked abaaht ‘er.”

Cody finished his coffee.  “Okay, Zaeed.  Can’t hurt to ask, and we _do_ need a specialist in the battery.  I’ll check into it, pull her personnel records, see if she’d fit in.”  Cody stood, grabbed Zaeed’s empty bottle and took it to the recycler and rinsed his own mug as he said, “Thanks, Massani.  I’ll be seeing you soon,”  and headed back towards the elevator. 

* * *

*** CRUISER SSV SHANGHAI · HIGH EARTH ORBIT, SOL SYSTEM ***

Gunnery Chief Sandra Patton was beyond tired after several months of six day weeks consisting of ‘ten on/ten off’.  The _Shanghai_ had been assigned, in conjunction with most of the Alliance ships in the vicinity, with recovering the remains of people, no matter their race, from orbit around the planet.  It was a heartbreaking task for everyone, and the strain was really beginning to show.

The only break she’d had in this grim routine had been a trip to the surface to retrieve an old merc needed by the Alliance for help in tracking down the leaders of the Blue Suns.  She’d found him, had even had breakfast with him – his treat! – before she’d accompanied him to the _Leningrad_.  She’d never met a more disrespectful old bastard, ever, particularly where women were concerned!  He was difficult to like…had even gone out of his way to provoke her, yet she found herself occasionally thinking about him, wondering if …‘ _shit, Patton!  He’s old enough to be your father - probably even your grandfather!  What the hell are you thinking?’_

Patton had just grabbed some necessities and was heading to the showers when she was interrupted by a squad mate.  “Gunny!  Have you heard the news?  At the Citadel?”

“What news have you got, Harper?”  Patton was almost too tired to care at this point… she just wanted to take her shower and put in some rack time before she had to go out and do it all over again tomorrow.

“It’s the _Normandy_ , Gunny!  She’s in port!”  The young corporal could barely contain herself.  “Can you believe it!?  After all these months, the damned ship made it back to port!  She’s docked with the _Hong Kong_.  Admiral Hackett welcomed them back personally!”

“Finally!” Patton sighed.  “First bit of good news I’ve heard in a long time.”

Pausing to yawn, she continued with, “Now, if you’ll excuse me, there’s a shower down the passageway with my name on it.  If I’m fast, I can get cleaned up and in bed in time to get maybe seven, seven and a half hours of sleep before I have to get up, shove some food down my throat and spend another ten helping with recovery of…” she pointed a thumb over her shoulder, “… all those people out there.  I’ll talk to you later, Cassie… and thanks for the info!”

* * *

*** SSV HONG KONG II · OFFICER’S MESS *  
– 0725, THURSDAY, 24 JANUARY, 2188 –**

Captain Yuán Xiùlán had made a quick, pre-breakfast trip to the Naval Personnel Supply Store, after which she sent a couple of texts… one to Miri, one to Sammy, requesting they both meet her on the _Hong Kong_ for breakfast… before she jogged back to the ship.

She was having her second cup of tea when they both walked around the elevator tower to join her.  Miranda was the first to speak.  “Good morning, _Captain_ Yuán.  Very nice to see you!”

Yuán couldn’t hide the smirk as she replied, “Good morning to you as well, Ms Lawson.  You too, Ms Traynor.  Grab some food, then both of you sit.  We need to talk.”

After they’d each grabbed a tray of food, some tea and taken their seats, Xiùlán looked at Miranda and said, “It’s going to be a busy day for you, Ms Lawson.”

“Why me?”

“You questioning your captain, Ms Lawson?”  Yuán still had a touch of smirk on her face.

“Ahhh, no Ma’am!” Miranda was instantly on the defensive.  “Not in the least.  My apologies, Captain.  I thought…”

Xiùlán waved a hand dismissively as she grinned at Miranda and said in a low voice, “My apologies, Miri.  Just giving you a bad time, something I’m always doing to Sà mǐ.  Bad habit… need to stop being such a big tease.  I actually have a gift for you.”  She reached into a thigh pocket and pulled out a pair of oblong disks on a beaded chain.  “I bought these for you… thought you might be needing them.”  Xiùlán handed Miranda a shiny new set of dog tags hanging from a chain.  “Navy and Marines are long on tradition, and these actually _still_ serve a purpose.  Didn’t want to order ‘em when we bought the rest of your stuff… needed to be sure we’d convinced you to join…”

Lawson looked at the pair of stainless plates with her name and vitals stamped in the surface of each, then looked back at Xiùlán and said, “Thank you, Captain,” as she slipped the chain over her head and tucked the tags inside her sleeveless undershirt.

“You’re welcome, Ms Lawson.  Oh, and that _is_ how crew on this ship is supposed to refer to you from now on.  I suppose we could also call you ‘Specialist’, or ‘Specialist Lawson’, but for now your last name will do.  Nice to see you have all your badging correctly in place.  You’ll make a good impression at the JAG offices later this morning.”

At Lawson’s questioning look, Yuán took another sip of tea and continued, “We have an appointment with the Judge Advocate Rep ashore.  I’m afraid it will be most uncomfortable for you when they start asking about your captivity with the Blue Suns.  Other than that, the session will probably be mostly boring.”

Yuán took a bite of toast, chewed and swallowed before continuing, “Just remember, Alliance is looking for any reason, any excuse they can find to hunt these jackals down.  Be as forthcoming as you can, but don’t hesitate to ask for a break if you need one.  They’re totally on our side, and everything we tell them will be held in strictest confidence.  They’re willing to do whatever they can to eliminate this group of scavengers from the galaxy, okay?”

Yuán took a few more sips of tea; holding her cup with both hands, she pointed a finger as she looked across the rim at Traynor.  “ _You!_ I have a little something for you as well, Specialist.”  Lowering her left hand, she reached into a pocket, grabbed something that made a metallic noise and brought her hand back up, holding it clenched over the table in front of her lover.  Sam slowly put her own hand out, palm up under Xiùlán's, who dropped a few pieces of metal.  “Insignia to denote your new rank, Ms Traynor.  Congratulations on your overdue promotion!”

Sammy’s grin wouldn’t have looked out of place on a small child as she inspected the insignia.  “Congratulations yourself, _Captain!_    And thank you… thank you very much.”

“You did a great job out there, Specialist.  It was really tough, being stuck in Arcturus, not knowing what the hell had happened everywhere else.  When we heard the _Normandy_ was on its way home, it was like a stim-shot in the arm.  And now you’re back…” Yuán ran out of words, eyes glistening as she thought back over the previous months.

Looking around quickly, Traynor took a chance, quickly reaching out and placing her hand on top of her lover’s.  Whispering, “You once told me that you had loved me ever since we met.  I was unable to find the words to respond to that, remember?”  Sam withdrew her hand before any other crew-members saw them.  “We were trying to get away from some batarian slavers that had captured us on Klensal.  Our first covert mission, and it all went bloody sideways when our Mako drove over an anti-tank mine.”

Xiùlán nodded.  “Lost our driver… Sergeant Tobias Perkins.  _Still_ haunts me to this day.”

“Yeah.  Murdered and mutilated by the batarians.  Our injuries forced the program directors to cut that assignment short, made us return to Mars.”  Traynor smirked as she looked at Xiùlán and snarked, “That wasn’t _all_ that got cut short, was it?”

Xiùlán looked down at the table, then up at Miranda as she responded, “You’re not the first human woman to be on the wrong side when dealing with batarians.  One of them cut off _my_ hair while I was unconscious.  Certainly not equal to the horrors _you_ were subjected to, but we weren’t captives for more than a day, either; they were going to sell us to the highest bidder, but they never bothered to tend to our injuries… maybe we didn’t give ‘em enough time.  The asshole with the knife got my blade through his spine after Traynor slowed ‘im down with a bullet.”  Xiùlán ran her hand across the top and down the back of her head, stroking her hair.  “I’m just glad none of ‘em thought to strip us of our armor.”

“Didn’t get our omni-tools either,” Traynor said quietly.  “I’ll always wonder why they never attempted to remove our bracelets.  Got all our hardware back thanks to Captain Mosley.”  Traynor said, then added with a bit of sadness, “It was the last time we saw her before the Battle of the Citadel.  _Hong Kong_ was destroyed with all hands.”

Yuán said, “I was on the _SSV Tokyo_ when that happened.  And now?  To be the captain of the second frigate to be named _Hong Kong?_   How coincidental is that?”  She shook her head, looked at the chrono on the wall and said, “We need to shove off Miranda.”  Xiùlán looked at Traynor and smiled.  “Walk out with us, Sà mǐ?  Bring us some luck?”

“The only luck _you’ll_ need is the ability to speed up time so you’re not answering questions all day,” Sam snarked before doing a double-take upon seeing how Xiùlán was dressed when she rose from the table.  “My god, Captain.  That’s some pretty fancy armor you’re wearing.  Looks brand new.”

“It _is_ new… Cap’n Cody obtained it for me after I was attacked in Miranda’s hospital room,” she responded.  “Bullet destroyed my backplate and shield generator.”  Running her fingers across the Alliance Navy badge above her breast, she added, “It’s all Spectre equipment, best of the best.”

“Damn!  You planning on finding trouble, or is trouble going to come looking for you?”

“Figure I’m prepared either way,” Yuán replied.  “I’m real leery of walking off this ship unarmed, which is why…” she paused at the armory as they entered the hanger bay, “… there’s this.”  She reached in her weapons locker and retrieved the finishing touch.

Sam’s eyes lit up when she saw what Xiùlán had retrieved.  “Is that an N7 Crusader?”

Xiùlán held it horizontally at its balance point.  Saying, “Check it out,” she handed it to Samantha, whose whole face was alight with wonder as she hefted and admired the new shotgun.  Her grin grew wider when she inspected the receiver before handing it back.  “ _This_ is why Captain Cody needed me to provide the Hànzì characters for your name and this ship!  He had this bloody weapon custom engraved just for you!”

Xiùlán smiled as she collapsed and latched the weapon into its dock across her lower back.  Opening another locker, she retrieved a heavy pistol and handed it to Miranda.  “I seriously doubt we’ll be able to wear these into the meeting, but at least we’ll be armed for the walk there and back.” 

Sam accompanied the pair to the point where she needed to head back for her apartment.  Stopping in front of Xiùlán, she grinned and said, “Thanks for breakfast.”  Giving her lover a quick hug and a kiss, she added a whispered, “Love you!” then turned and left.

Miranda grinned as Yuán watched Traynor walk away.  “Never gets old, does it?”

“What’s that?”  Xiùlán continued to watch Sam until she disappeared around a corner.

“Being the object of someone’s affection… being hugged, being kissed… being… loved,” Miranda answered with a smile.  “It’s what makes life worth living.”

Xiùlán turned back towards Miranda.  “First time I laid eyes on her was special.”  She started walking towards the JAG offices.  “Come on… may as well get this over with…”

* * *

*** CRUISER SSV SHANGHAI · HIGH EARTH ORBIT, SOL SYSTEM ***

Captain Reuben Warner was finishing a late dinner in the officer’s mess when he received a ‘page’ over the ship’s comm system – he was needed in the QEC compartment.  ‘ _Never fails,’_ he thought to himself.  He responded to the page as he took his tray of dishes to the cleanup area.  _‘Bet it’s Admiral Hackett again with another shit assignment…’_ he grumbled to himself, then thought, _‘Ah, be fair, Reuben… the old man doesn’t have a lot of vessels to choose from for assignments.’_  He walked into the QEC area, surprised that the party calling him was wearing captain’s bars.  He stepped up to the rail and toggled the ‘response’ control.  “This is Captain Warner… what may I do for you, Captain…?”

 _“William Cody, SSV Normandy,”_ Cody said with a smile.  _“How’re you doing, Captain?”_

Warner rubbed the short, graying hair on his head with his left hand.  “Just call me Reuben… and I’m sure you’re not calling me just to inquire about my health, so again, what may I do for you?”

Cody’s grin got a bit wider.  _“Call me Bill… and I have a request you may find a little… odd.”_

“Everything’s been odd… hell, worse than odd, ever since the damned Reapers moved into the galaxy.  Point of fact, last I heard, Commander Rachaél Shepard was in charge of the _Normandy_.  What changed?”

 _“There are more changes happening than I can cover in a short exchange through the QEC, Captain.  I assumed command of the Normandy this morning, minute past midnight.  Admiral has tasked me with replenishing the crew and completing the retrofits interrupted when Vancouver’s Naval Yard was hit.”_ Cody paused for a moment to glance at a datapad.  _“Reason for the call is to request a transfer of one of your crew, if you’re amenable to parting with her.”_  

 _‘Here it comes,’_   Warner thought.  “Who’s the lucky lady you’d like me to part with, Bill?”

 _“Name’s_ _Sandra Patton… Gunnery Chief.  I’ve looked at her records… extremely well-qualified for the position I need her for.”_ Cody’s grin disappeared as he continued, _“I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t have a serious need to fill this position, Reuben.  Start of the war,_ Normandy _left Vancouver with less than half its recommended crew compliment.  I have to correct that while the tech crews finish the retrofits that were also left incomplete when the VI and the ship’s pilot released the tie-downs and made a run for Mars.”_ Cody paused for a moment, then smiled again as he continued, _“Ship would have been destroyed on the ground at the beginning of the war, and we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”_

Warner’s smile was grim.  “A _lot_ of good ships were destroyed that day, Bill… _and_ in the days after.  That’s why we’re on cleanup detail over Earth – trying to recover bodies and body parts, and not just humans.  Haven’t seen this many dead and dismembered turians since the First Contact War.  It’s a miserable job… one of the worst assignments I’ve ever been required to do, including what we did at Arcturus.”  Warner shook his head and added, “I’ve got a cruiser full of people – all a lot younger than me – walking around the ship like zombies.  Been doing this work since we returned from Arcturus.”

Reuben was silent for several moments, thinking about what was lying just outside the pressure hull in orbit around the charred planet below, silent witnesses to the devastation.  He looked back at Cody and asked, “So, what brought Patton to your attention?”

Cody’s answer was completely unexpected.  _“A civilian we have on board, old merc named Massani, met Patton in London when the Alliance was attempting to locate him.  She was one of the people on the ground, convinced him to talk to Captain Martinez on the_ Stalingrad _.  I’m no expert, but I think she must be pretty special to have made such an impression on the old guy.”_

“That wouldn’t happen to be _Zaeed_ Massani now, would it?”  Warner asked with a chuckle and a shake of his head.  “When she returned from that mission she told me what a right proper ass the man was.  Always struck me as odd she would say _anything_ about him at all.”

 _“I need to wrap this up, Reuben.  How about it – just between you and me?   You willing to let her transfer to a frigate?  I haven’t talked to Patton, neither has Massani, and neither of us will call her if you’re not willing to let her go.”  _Cody’s face took on a solemn look.  “ _But if you are willing, I'd like time to speak with the Admiral first, see if he'll sweeten the pot by allowing her to skip a rank, offer her a promotion to Master Gunnery Sergeant with a position as the Chief of the _Normandy’s _Weapons Systems Division.”_

Warner’s mouth fell open in surprise.  After a few seconds of stunned silence, he placed a hand on the back of his neck while tilting his head back to stretch the muscles there.  He finally responded in a quiet voice, “Dammit, Bill.  How the hell can I say no to an offer like that?   If word about this leaked…”

 _“…it won’t, Reuben.”_ Cody interrupted in a firm voice.  _“Between you… and… me.  You say_ _‘no’, that’s the end of the matter.  I’ll keep looking, and Patton will probably finish her_ _career as a gunnery chief.”_ Cody played his final card, saying, _“But if you say ‘yes’, you’ll be the one getting the credit for offering Patton an unprecedented opportunity to advance her career.”_

Reuben Warner was like most high-ranking officers in the Fifth Fleet, in that he would never knowingly hold a person back when a golden opportunity came along.  “Hell, Bill… how can I turn you down?   You go talk to the old man… ring me back when you have something, in writing mind you, that I can present to her.  And,” he leaned forward a bit as he concluded, “the credit for this is all _yours,_ okay?  I would _never_ stand in the way of _any_ of my crew taking a position that could advance their career.” 

 _“Thanks, Reuben.  She’ll thank you too!  We’ll talk tomorrow.”_ Cody terminated the connection, leaving Reuben Warner to lean on the rail in front of the empty projection pad, thinking about all the vagaries of life in the Alliance Military.

Bill Cody left the QEC compartment and strolled around the raised walkway surrounding the war status table and display, taking care to stay out of the way of the many technical specialists reworking the power and data cables all around the circular compartment.

He had requested the transfer of twelve Marines and eighteen to twenty-four servicemen and NCO’s; the _Orizaba_ could certainly spare the personnel, yet knowing Admiral Hackett would be involved in helping to boost the _Normandy’s_ complement, he suspected some people would be transferred from other ships in the Fifth Fleet, perhaps even some of the survivors from ships destroyed during the war.  Having already sent a note to Admiral Hackett concerning Lieutenant Sherri Morse, he was going to contact the admiral concerning Gunnery Chief Sandra Patton as soon as he reached his quarters.

As he thought about the ‘captain’s quarters’ on _this_ ship, he remembered he _still_ needed to get all his gear out of his old office and quarters on the _Hong Kong_ , mainly so her new XO could relocate and get settled into his new position.  Tomorrow.  He’d visit Captain Yuán _tomorrow_ , get some assistance, get his stuff moved out so Cross could move in.  As for the _Normandy_ , once all the retrofits were complete, the ship would be ready to fly once again, wherever their hunt for the Blue Suns might lead them…

* * *

*** SSV HONG KONG II • 1845 HOURS ***

Miranda Lawson and Yuán Xiùlán had returned from a tiring day; each of them had been questioned individually and at length by representatives of the Alliance’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps.  Fortunately, it had been deemed unnecessary to question either woman any further – the daylong session each had endured seemed to have been quite enough.

For Xiùlán, the questions concerned the multiple attempts to kidnap or murder Miranda Lawson _after_ Yuán led the team that rescued her from Blue Suns captivity in the ruins of Vancouver, BC.  There was little mention of the actual rescue operation itself, other than to determine Xiùlán’s opinion of Lawson’s condition when she was first discovered.

For Miranda, the questions were of a much more personal nature, dealing as they did with the nature and frequency of the assaults during the period of time she had been held captive.  The JAG assigned to perform the interview was a woman; additionally, Miranda’s advocate was a woman. Both were sympathetic to the physical brutality experienced by Lawson at the hands of her captors.  Miranda was allowed to leave the room a number of times when she broke down from memories dredged up by the intrusive questioning; accompanied by her advocate, she was able to regain her composure when the questions became too intense or dredged up exceedingly unpleasant memories.

The JAG may also have been swayed somewhat by Miranda’s physical appearance – her remaining facial scars, overall gauntness compared to her look when she was still employed by Cerberus (a part of her history that was known, but _not_ asked about), and the eye patch she was still wearing to protect her newly implanted eye.

It had been an emotionally draining day for the former Cerberus operative, and by the time she reentered the _Hong Kong_ , she felt as if she was ready to collapse from exhaustion.  Xiùlán escorted her to her new quarters, (shared with the other female mid-level specialists on board), made sure she was going to be okay showering and changing on her own, then left to get cleaned up herself.

Xiùlán was sitting at the desk in her quarters, looking over a datapad while eating a snack of braised eggplant in brown sauce, when the door lock chimed.  She remotely unlocked the hatch as she said, “Come in.”  Miranda stood outside the hatch as the sections retracted.  “Ms Lawson?”  Xiùlán stood up and added, “Come on in…take a seat.  Just looking over some reports.”

Miranda slowly walked up to her captain’s desk and sat heavily in one of the chairs.  “Ma’am, I hope I _never_ have to go through anything like today, ever again.”  She massaged her temples between thumb and middle finger, hand covering her eyes.   

Yuán waited for more; when Miranda remained silent, she replied, “I can’t even begin to imagine what being forced to relive all your recent past must have been like for you.”  Xiùlán poured a small glass of water from the pitcher beside her.  “I’m sorry, Miranda.  I wish there had been some other way for them to learn what you went through.”

Miranda dropped her hand, picked up the glass and drank the water straight down before answering, “I know, Captain.  And I really thought I was ready, you know?   It’s just that, some of the questions the JAG asked me… I felt in my heart I was a lot stronger, and… dammit, I’m _not_.  Some nights when I’m trying to sleep, I still see their faces… leering at me; their hands…” Miranda brought a shaking hand back up to her face.  “It’s never going to go away, is it?”

“Unfortunately, no…not without some outside help,” Xiùlán answered quietly.  “I’m going to make a call, see if I can get an acquaintance of mine to either come visit you or recommend someone to meet you, but _only_ if you’d be willing to enter into a light meld with an asari.  Will that be okay?”

Miranda was silent for several moments as she thought about Xiùlán’s question.  “At this point, I’m willing to try anything, Captain.  Call her, please.”

“And Miri?… when we’re alone, in private, it’s just _Xiùlán_ , okay?   You are a member of my crew now, yes, but you have become my friend – despite our respective ranks in the Navy, that is something that will _not_ change.”  Xiùlán stood and came around the desk; taking Miranda’s hand, she gently pulled to bring Miranda out of the chair.  Facing her, she brought her arms around her friend and hugged her tightly; it was all the trigger Miranda needed to start weeping silently, tears trickling down her cheeks to dampen the fabric covering the strong shoulder on which her chin rested.  They stood there together for several minutes until Miranda had exhausted her tears.  Voice hitching, she asked, “You this sympathetic to all your crew, Cap…uh, Xiùlán?”

“I am, but…,” Xiùlán brought her hands to Miranda’s waist, pushed away slightly and grinned as she finished, “…you seem to be the only one that needs to be hugged on a regular basis.”  Stepping back, she moved to her bathroom, picked up and dampened a washcloth and came back to her unhappy friend, where she carefully wiped Miranda’s face.  When she was done, she smiled and said, “That’s better.  You should go get some rack time, Miri.  You’ll be working with Lieutenant Cross tomorrow, learning the ins and outs of our CIC.  It should serve to keep your mind occupied, and I think you’ll find Cross is a very patient teacher.” 

Miranda actually smiled as she replied, “Thanks, Captain.  I’ll see you in the morning.”  With that, she turned and left Xiùlán alone in her office.

After a minute, Xiùlán opened her omnitool and sent a message directly to Lieutenant Cross, asking him to come see her.

Xiùlán had already assigned Cross as the ship’s Executive Officer, effective at the same moment she assumed command of the _Hong Kong_ ; along with the ‘paperwork’ she had already filed regarding his new position, she had requested authority to promote him to the rank of Staff Lieutenant, something she had promised when she first discussed all the changes with him and Miranda Lawson.  For morale’s sake Hackett wanted to make Cross’s promotion a public affair in the presence of the _Hong Kong’s_ crew, which Xiùlán had agreed with wholeheartedly. 

After giving Cross a ‘laundry list’ of instructions (most of which involved training Ms Lawson in the tasks she’d be responsible for in the CIC) for the next few days, she’d dismissed him so she could contact Mallene Calis.

Although she not heard from the Serrice Council rep for a number of months, she _had_ heard Ms Calis had gone back to Illium to ride out the end of the war.  She typed a quick message outlining what she needed, marked it urgent and sent it off, hoping she’d be hearing back from the asari sooner rather than later.

Leaning back in her chair, she crossed her long legs left over right and planted the heel of a boot on the edge of her desk as she thought about the task ahead.  She would soon be taking the _Hong Kong_ into the Terminus to search for and recover – or destroy – remnants of Cerberus’ operations; once they left the Citadel, they’d be on their own for weeks before returning.  Xiùlán needed Miranda’s expertise, so would do whatever was needed to help her friend deal with her memories before they destroyed her sanity…

* * *

*** INSIDE THE DESTROYER REPOSITORY IRINGÙ-EẞIZKUR ***

Dr Liara T’Soni and Garrus Vakarian gazed in awed silence at the nebula ahead as Iringù-Eßizkur continued traveling towards it, her velocity a mind-numbing multiple of light speed.  Liara finally broke the silence with a whispered, “Goddess.  I wish Rachaél was here to witness this.”

Garrus looked at the asari, flared his mandibles slightly and replied, “That’s why _we’re_ out here, Liara.  We’re going to help make it possible for the commander to witness sights like this, independent of a computer server.”  Garrus’ eyes took on a steely glint when he added, “Any Cerberus personnel or property we find that does not aid our search will be destroyed.”  He paused as he looked at the projection of the galaxy map before activating the internal comm link.  “Iringù-Eßizkur, please set course for the Anadius System.  We need to find whatever remains of the Cerberus facility known as ‘Cronos Station’ – it was supposedly orbiting the sun outside the asteroid belt.”

› _As you request, Garrus Vakarian.   Course correction will commence immediately.  Is there anything else?_‹

“That will be all for now – thank you, Iringù-Eßizkur.”

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _This is the final chapter for_ ‘ **Transformation – Part One** ’; _the next chapter will be the **first** chapter for a story that will continue telling the tales started here -_ **‘TRANSFORMATION – Part Two’** _, to be sub-titled_ **‘NEW BEGINNINGS’** , _will debut 01 January 2018_ _.  There are many loose ends still needing closure, not the least of which is that of Liara T'Soni and Garrus Vakarian as they continue their voyage within the Destroyer Reaper Iringù-Eßizkur.  Please note, my tentative posting schedule for future chapters will be on the 15th and the last day of the month_ _._

 _My thanks, once again, to **Desert Sunrise** for assisting me with those bits of military protocol of which I've written here.  The 'skip-rank' promotion for Gunnery Chief Sandra Patton is something that is not unheard of in current day military ops.  With so many Naval and Marine personnel having lost their lives in the war to stop the Reapers, finding enough people to fill out depleted ranks (or, in the case of the _ Normandy _, ranks that were not filled at the start of the war) is quite difficult.  Ship captains are more likely to hoard their people, saying_ ‘No’ _to proposed transfers in an effort to keep their own crew compliments at an optimal level.  Fortunately for Bill Cody, captains in the Fifth Fleet are more inclined to work together for the common good, no doubt due to the leadership example of Admiral Steven Hackett. **D.S.'s** work as my Beta reader is also very much appreciated, far more than I can relay with just a few words of praise._

 _Additionally, I'm offering_ _each of you my_ _sincere thanks – for following, for adding this to your list of favorites, and for your reviews – I appreciate each new follower, and will attempt to promptly reply to all.  Stay tuned!_

_O_G_


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